buying Dimond/engagement ring

[mwang]

I was with Adventure of the Sea departing on Oct. 10, 2004 to S Carib.

 

We heard that the virgin Islands offered better deal in terms of purchasing lose dimonds.

 

I did a little research before I left. I read from the threads under St. Martin; some people recommanded buying dimonds in St. Martin.

 

Anyhow, I had a chance shopping at both St. Thomas and St. Martin...to my surprise, jewllery stores at St. Thomas offered more variety and are more competitive.

 

I had a chance shopping at Dimonds International in St. Thomas. The manager there (Jason) and sales rep. (Heather) was able to offer our friends and myself really good deals. And they were able to set my ring within 2 hours. When I brought the ring back, my friends and families said that the Tiffaney setting was beautiful.

 

I would recommand shopping in St. Thomas rather than St. Martin.

[debmaddi]

I also purchased a diamond ring in St. Thomas from Diamond International while on a cruise.

 

RIP OFF.

 

Have your ring appraised here. We are now in the middle of a fight. I have filed a dispute with our credit card company because even though Diamonds International has MONEY BACK GUARANTEE printed on the back of their receipts they are not willing to honor their own policy.

 

It has now been over 7 weeks from the time the dispute was filed and the credit card company is still fighting with them.

 

My diamonds were more than 5 color grades off from what we were told they were. We had to have the stones set in St. Thomas and then spent the next day in St. Martin having them reset. They are still not set right and the main stone is loose and the ring can not even be worn safely.

 

I am only trying to inform the consumer that the salesman are not always trust worthy.

 

Please know what you are buying before you make your purchase. That was our main problem. We relied on the jewelers expertice to much.

[AndiandMike]

Don't shoot me, this is just my opinion for what it is worth. My DH told me on our last cruise that I could get a new Diamond for my engagment ring, I had been good that year. We started at Diamonds International and found the service mediocre, the prices ridiculous and the quality less than fair. We kept walking and went to Cardow's where they took us hostage just browsing. We then, on recomendation from our insurance agent, went to Ballerina's. I purchased a 1.25 solitaire it is a VVS1 and near flawless in color. I paid $2500 and it was set in 2 hours. Went home to get it reappraised for insurance reasons, the diamond alone appraised at 7000.00. They were wonderful and we are planning to visit them again in a few weeks! Be aware of Diamonds International, they're all over the caribbean and there to take your $$$ and not offer you the service and quality you deserve.

[lhbsurf]

We too found there weren't really "deals" at the cruise ship recommended stores and those that heavily advertize (i.e. Diamonds International, Cardow etc. as already mentioned.) We purchased a black and white diamond tennis bracelet last year from a place called Imperial Jewelers and it was literally half the price of those at the bigger stores.

 

I don't think there are as many "fantastic" deals as you used to see, but I do enjoy shopping in St. Thomas and have fond memories of the pieces I've purchased there. I do my homework before I leave and so far have been happy with the purchases I've made there.

[mwang]

Thanks for everyone's sharing of their dimond hunting experience. I took all of your advice and I had my dimond appraised 2 days ago. You all are right, the appraisal is slightly different from the EGL certificate given to me by Dimond's International. But it was only one color grade down...the appraiser even told me that "the color grading could be subjective." Other than that, I was pretty happy about the fact that my dimond ring worth 37.5% more than what I had paid for.

 

I took it to a dimond whole seller for an apprasial becasue it was the same place recommanded by the insurance company. Therefore, my conclusion is that I am pretty lucky to get the kind of dimond ring I wanted. Most of all, I guess my cruise trip is covered with the money I saved.

 

My other friend also bought a lose dimond at the same time and same place as I did. She is going to get hers appraised as well. Let's wait and see:)

[CaribbeanBlue]

As of 2003 St Thomas does have an Independent Jewelry Appraiser available to have your jewelry items evaluated even before your finalize your purchase. Many of cruise critics readers are aware of ***** from our website http://www.*****.org We saw an increasing demand from consumers to have an un-biased opinion from qualified GIA trained gemologist/Appraisers available. Shoppers can now have their item checked and documented correctly before leaving the island. If there is a problem we can usually help to resolve it to the customers satisfaction.

 

This fall we have brought in a master goldsmith,stone-setter and sizer from the US. We saw there was a huge need for skilled craftsmen,as demonstrated in the scenarios above. When your buying big ticket items don't accept shoddy workmanship. The skill level of Mr Henrickson is going to set the bar a bit higher in St Thomas. He does the majority of his work under a high power microscope.

 

The ***** Appraisal office is located at 6 mainstreet. (Upstairs, down the hall from the Chamber of Commerce) No appoinment is neccesary, our staff enjoys talking about Jewelry! Many shoppers stop into our office in the AM prior to shopping for a crash course in "how to buy a diamond" Mr Siskin and Mr. Henrickson can show you how to correctly use a loupe and a few tips on what to look for when purchasing fine jewelry. The classes are informal and run from 0900 am till 1100 am, this is a free service.

 

We don't buy or sell jewelry or gemstones. We only appraise and provide superior goldmith services. Our company has been helping Consumers in the Caribbean for 14 years.

[DoreenD]

I too have had a problem with Diamonds International. My husband purchased an eternity ring for me in Costa Maya last Christmas. Everything was going along well until 1 week beyond their guarantee of 3 months. I looked down one afternoon and the entire center stone and the setting were gone. A big gaping hole in the middle of my ring. . .My argument was that it was not set properly, as I hadn't banged my hand, immersed in detergent. . .etc. It wasn't as if a prong were loose and the diamond fell out. The whole setting. . .gone. No amount of arguing would get me my money back or the ring repaired or anything. I will never use them again and vowed to tell all that will listen that they are not reliable or trustworthy. Please keep an eye on your ring and have the prongs and setting checked periodically.

[CaribbeanBlue]

You are 100% right. Itis totally unacceptable thatthe head should fall off after this amount of time. My advice would be 1. contact your credit card company and challenge the sale, 2.take your ring into a qualified independent gemologist in your area, have them complete a full damage report. 3. contact the cruise line in writing about your complaint. Make many copies and keep sending them to the cruise company.

 

A good jeweler would not ignore his customer if there was a problem,especially in regards to workmanship. It is for this very reason that our company brought in a highly skilled goldsmith. The jewelersarent really thrilled with the few dollars extra cost (he's a professional and gets paid accordingly) however for a few dollars more your setting would have stayed in place.

 

If you would like please mail a letter of your concern to our office in St Thomas. I can walk the letter over to the manager of the store and see if this can be resolved. Perhaps there was a mis-communication on their part and they could be given the opportunity to do the right thing.

 

CaribbeanBlue

http://www.*****.org

[alcpa1]

Instead of purchasing a piece of set jewelry consider purchasing a loose stone and having it set in the US. Loose stones are duty free. There are several reputable jewelers on STT that can set the stone in the US. or, purchase jewelry at a store that also has US stores as well. For almost 25 years we have been doing either of the above and never had a problem with any jewelry we have purchased. We have even exchanged loose stones. I am taking six stones back with me next month to upgrade so that one of our favorite jewelers can design a piece for me. It will be made in Florida once we have all the stones coordinated. Just a thought.

[DoreenD]

You are 100% right. Itis totally unacceptable thatthe head should fall off after this amount of time. My advice would be 1. contact your credit card company and challenge the sale, 2.take your ring into a qualified independent gemologist in your area, have them complete a full damage report. 3. contact the cruise line in writing about your complaint. Make many copies and keep sending them to the cruise company.

 

A good jeweler would not ignore his customer if there was a problem,especially in regards to workmanship. It is for this very reason that our company brought in a highly skilled goldsmith. The jewelersarent really thrilled with the few dollars extra cost (he's a professional and gets paid accordingly) however for a few dollars more your setting would have stayed in place.

 

If you would like please mail a letter of your concern to our office in St Thomas. I can walk the letter over to the manager of the store and see if this can be resolved. Perhaps there was a mis-communication on their part and they could be given the opportunity to do the right thing.

 

CaribbeanBlue

www.*****.org

Thank you so much for your input. I have visited your website and see that Diamonds International is NOT listed as one of your CGI jewelers. Imagine that. . .I am going to take your advice. . .I don't know why I didn't dispute this with my credit card company before. . .duh! I also will have someone do a damage report here locally and will send this all to you. Maybe you CAN turn what was a miserable jewelry buying experience, into a happy ending. I also looked at the jeweler listed on your sight and plan to visit them on this year's Christmas Cruise. We visit St Thomas on Dec 20th.

[elaineo]

I bought a setting for my solitaire. Cardows honors 30 day return. I got home and one prong was slightly broken. I called Cardows, they said send it back for full refund. I said I wanted it--they said send it back for repair, and then they said if I had a good jeweler, get them the estimate and they would pay for my jeweler to do it. I thought they stood by their product very well. I told my jeweler the price I paid and he said he could not have sold it at anywhere near that $. I had felt I got a decent deal, but not a gerat bargain, but according to him, it was a very nice ring for substantially less than I would pay here.

[CaribbeanBlue]

Now that is a PROFESSIONAL jeweler. Cardow's took care of their customer. Problems can happen in any business. I look at how the business handles the problem.

 

CaribbeanBlue

http://www.*****.org

[debmaddi]

I also purchased a diamond ring in St. Thomas from Diamond International while on a cruise.

 

RIP OFF.

 

Have your ring appraised here. We are now in the middle of a fight. I have filed a dispute with our credit card company because even though Diamonds International has MONEY BACK GUARANTEE printed on the back of their receipts they are not willing to honor their own policy.

 

It has now been over 7 weeks from the time the dispute was filed and the credit card company is still fighting with them.

 

My diamonds were more than 5 color grades off from what we were told they were. We had to have the stones set in St. Thomas and then spent the next day in St. Martin having them reset. They are still not set right and the main stone is loose and the ring can not even be worn safely.

 

I am only trying to inform the consumer that the salesman are not always trust worthy.

 

Please know what you are buying before you make your purchase. That was our main problem. We relied on the jewelers expertice to much.

 

CaribbeanBlue,

 

Can you help me with my problem?

 

When we returned we could not find an independant appraisor. We are now in the middle of our 2nd dispute with our credit card company for our money back. We feel that they will side with Diamonds International "again". Anything you can think of that we can do?

 

I would appreciate any help you may be able to give us. We are at our wits end and they only thing we may be able to do is put MORE money into the ring so I am able to wear it.

 

PLEASE HELP!

Debbie

[CaribbeanBlue]

Please contact our office in St Thomas regarding this, that is where all of the Gemologists for the company are currently located. You will find the contact info at the http://www.*****.org site. Sometimes going thru all of this alone can be overwhelming, perhaps we can help you.

 

CaribbeanBlue

http://www.*****.org

[SraLiz]

Where is Ballerina's located? I am traveling in July and am looking to purchase a nice, quality ring of at least a carat.

 

thanks

Liz

[DoreenD]

Here is a link to their website http://www.ballerina-jewelers.com/1024x768.html

You can also access it throughwww.*****.org

[johno95]

I get suspicious when someone starts a thread to tell everyone how much they liked a particular merchant (and particular island). This wasn't in response to a question. And why do we have to know the names Jason and Heather? Can't we just buy from whomever is working that day?

 

Hmmm... mwang, where do you work?:mad:

 

John

I was with Adventure of the Sea departing on Oct. 10, 2004 to S Carib.

 

We heard that the virgin Islands offered better deal in terms of purchasing lose dimonds.

 

I did a little research before I left. I read from the threads under St. Martin; some people recommanded buying dimonds in St. Martin.

 

Anyhow, I had a chance shopping at both St. Thomas and St. Martin...to my surprise, jewllery stores at St. Thomas offered more variety and are more competitive.

 

I had a chance shopping at Dimonds International in St. Thomas. The manager there (Jason) and sales rep. (Heather) was able to offer our friends and myself really good deals. And they were able to set my ring within 2 hours. When I brought the ring back, my friends and families said that the Tiffaney setting was beautiful.

 

I would recommand shopping in St. Thomas rather than St. Martin.

[debmaddi]

Just wanted to follow up and let everyone know "alls well that ends well".

 

We had my diamonds reset in another setting we purchased locally and the side trillions were set in earring mounts.

 

We are out about $600. but I have my dream ring and I am happy.

 

I will never deal with DIamonds International ever again and I will tell everyone I meet how horrible they are to deal with.

 

Debbie