buying tanzanite?

[wareaglefan444]

going on the glory this month visiting bahamas,st.thomas,and st.martin which island is the best place to buy tanzanite any help appreciated thanks

[firefly333]

My advice is dont. Shop online at sites like bidz.com and get an idea of what you can buy it online at before you go. I bought a sapphire ring for $350 I could have bought for less than $100 online....but it does have a nice thick gold band... just saying.. beware. The prices at my local jeweler start about $350 for a really nice ring, 2nd quality .. you probably wouldnt even get to see top quality tanzinite stones at the ports, they figure you dont know the difference ...

 

Educate yourself before you go.

 

That being said there are some well known jewelry stores in St. Thomas.. Id shop there. I got a tanzinite in St. Marteen too though ... just a small cheap one I was unsatified with later on.

[becbec423]

My grandmother bought a beautiful tanzanite ring at Diamonds International on St. Thomas. The shopping guy will talk you through where to go and he was even in the store when she was buying the ring with us. She was also able to negotiate, which she loves to do! Have fun shopping!!! ANd on the Glory, we were doing the same itinerary in June and had so much fun!

[firefly333]

I got one 65% off before I got educated .... got home and found out you can buy a lot 90% off retail online ... educate yourself before you go or you will pay more than its worth.

[ooulio]

I have had good luck. I have the jewelry store's name at home. I bought a beautiful tanzanite diamond kabana bracelet. I paid $1095.00. I checked at maybe 30 jewelry stores. Everyone was at least $3000.00. This year I priced the same one but a little smaller. It was valued at $5500.00. I took it to a jewelry in boston. It was valued at $6500.00. If you want the name I can get if for you. They were great with us. I also bought a tanzanite with diamonds It is yellow gold . I paid $1200.00. Got 2 evaluations of over $2200.00. All my pieces I have always done great with. Diamonds International I bought a emerald ring and only paid $800.00. It is valued at $1200.00 ...Never lost any money.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I got my wife a tanzanite tennis bracelet at Kay's Jewelers in St Maarten about 5 years ago.

 

She wears it every day and has had no problems with it.

 

As Firefly says, know before you go.

 

Bill

[wareaglefan444]

thanks for the help,oouilo if you dont mind let me know the name of the store email it to wareaglefan444@bellsouth.net thanks again

[LorrieB]

My husband bought me a beautiful Tanzanite ring on the ship during their big sale. We got the ring for $650 and it was appraised for $1500. I love the ring and it came with free sizing although we had to send it away.

 

Just be careful. I priced Alexandrite Diamonds on the ship and did much better on Ebay. Got an absolutely gorgeous ring for $2000 that appraised for $5900.

 

Gotta love those kinds of surprises.

[ck53]

As was previously stated, know before you go. Do some research, and find out which is more expensive the darker purple or the lighter, see the weight you want, and compare prices @ home. We did that when I wanted to purchase a watch and a sapphire ring, we bought both and the ring was appraised much higher than what we paid.

 

But I think that St. Marteen has better prices than St. Thomas on jewelry.

 

Have fun shopping!

[firefly333]

Appraisals mean almost nothing, when they say it would appraise for much more than you pay ... seems to be a game. Mine appraised for about $4000 I got on bidz site for $250. Of course I shopped a while to get it, but I get many comliments.. turns out 65% off the so called value isnt such a good deal... but I love all my rings. I love jewelry and been buying some lately. I guess Im entitled to make some mistakes and paying too much as I learned.

[ck53]

I agree you have to learn along the way and that includes mistakes :o Been there....

 

The ring I bought in St. Marteen I had appraised in NYC @ my insurance company's request. That is the appraisal I was refering to. The ring was appraised higher than what I purchased it for. The

appraisal the island jewelry stores give you are usually very inflated:rolleyes:

[techmom]

I bought my ring on the Conquest and found the same one in Cozumel for $800 more. Mine has been fine and I sent away for the sizing too.

Now my friend just bought a ring in June while we were in Nassau at the Tanzanite store which I think is all part of Diamonds International and her stone fell out. She has had nothing but problems with dealing with them. Also, she had it appraised here and it wasn't appraised as high as they said. I had told her to buy it on the ship and I agree, know before you go. Don't get wrapped up in all the hoopla about the jewelry being cheaper and appraised for thousands more than you are paying.

[ck53]

The ship do give you a warranty or something along those lines, but if you get it sized by someone else, it is then voided. Just something to keep in mind:)

[Jsme]

I am going to agree with everyone that has stated research before you go. DH bought me a gorgeous tanzanite and diamond ring in an 18Kt gold setting. I am not going to say how much we bought the ring for but it was not cheap. The tanzanite if well over a ct and has great color. I was fortunate to find out when we came home that I did not lose money on the purchase but I have learned now to never buy on a cruise vacation again. We broke even on the ring.

 

I will not go as far to tell you not to buy but I will say I never will nor with DH buy on vacation again.

 

Forgot to add: The only reason we thought to question the price was because the CD mentioned in a shopping meeting that you needed to let him know what you bought and paid for it to see if you got a good deal. His expression when he saw my ring and when we told him the purchase price lead us to question the value of the ring when we returned to our jeweler.

[crusinpsychRN]

You can be sure in the islands you will get a different price at every store you go into even for the identical ring. I saw the same ring at DI in Costa Maya for $1050 and at the DI two doors down $750. Be careful.

[Katie333]

Tanzanite is a beautiful stone and personally, I don't see enough of it up here at home. It seems all the tanzanite is located in the Caribbean stores! :)

 

But seriously, I always get a little jewelry treat on a cruise, but thus far, have not purchased anything so expensive that I would be disappointed to find out we were taken advantage of.

 

You might want to compare sites that offer raw gems too, because then you can get something made. I've done that as well, bought the loose stones and had my jeweler make me something afterward. I'm wearing mystic topaz earrings from stones I bought on a cruise for a super cheap price. I bought them because I liked them not because I was hoping to get a bargain.

[Islandbear]

My grandmother bought a beautiful tanzanite ring at Diamonds International on St. Thomas. The shopping guy will talk you through where to go and he was even in the store when she was buying the ring with us. She was also able to negotiate, which she loves to do! Have fun shopping!!! ANd on the Glory, we were doing the same itinerary in June and had so much fun!

 

That's not because its such a great deal, that's because he gets a kick back.

[CWcruisers]

I'm sure you're not buying jewelry as an investment but as something you want and will get pleasure in wearing. I have bought lots of jewelry on vacation because I wanted a particular piece. I did feel the stores in St Maarten were better priced than St Thomas.

 

But don't forget to shop the ship first. They are now carrying some large pieces of Tanzanite (of which my DH bought me a ring and pendant for our 25th anniversary last year) and the ship is now offering a 2 year, no questions asked, full refund. That is really hard to beat.

[Islandbear]

Know what you are buying before you go and know what you can get it for at your local jeweler or on line.

 

Just because you are on a cruise ship or in St. Martin the rules of supply and demand are still in effect. Gold & Diamonds don't magically cost less just because someone serves you a PainKiller.

 

Also, never expect an appraisal to tell you if you got a good deal. That is not what they are for. It might make you feel good to know your ring is appraised for $12,000, but see if your jeweler will pay you that for it.

 

Remember:

There is currently no legal educational or training requirements one must have to appraise jewelry. Appraisals can be done by anyone, even someone with no training. Appraisals are often done by shop owner or even the salesperson selling the jewelry. If you read the fine print, virtually all appraisals include legal disclaimers to protect the appraiser from legal recourse if the appraisal is inaccurate. Disclaimers usually state the appraisal is no guarantee of quality and is only the opinion of the appraiser.

[prose]

I'd say you can't go wrong at Kay's Jewelers on St. Maarten. Our appraisal beat us home and came complete with cut, clarity, size of stones, and includes a picture of your jewelry. I've been very happy with my purchases there.

[kicia]

We've dealt with Star Jewelers at 28 Main Street on St. Thomas since 1989 and have had good luck with them. We've had appraisals done at home after the trip and it was always 2 to 3 times what we paid for them. We're going to visit again next week - well it depends on what Erika does.

[CarnivalGirl3]

be careful who you buy from. my stones aren't real, course I kinda knew that when I bought them, but the sales guy was claiming they were real.

 

enjoy!

[patattack]

I purchased a very nice Tanzanite ring at Kay's in St. Martin last Sept as a 50th birthday present to myself. It definitely appraised for more than I paid for it. I would not sell it though. My sister has purchased several pieces from Kays in St. Martin and in St. Kitts. The are a family owned business.

 

Pat

[crystal blue]

I too have bought jewelry at Kay's Jewelers in St. Maarten. I have always been very satisfied. I love to shop for jewelry in St. Maarten. The prices seem to be better then St. Thomas. I have many pieces of Tanzanite and was able to get my first pieces when it first become popular. Please be advised that Tanzanite is a very soft stone and can be damaged easily. I love the color and would buy more, but this is not a everyday stone to wear. You will damage it very quickly. A diamond is a 10 on the Mose scale amd Tanzanite is a 6.

[JessicaRN]

We bought my tanzanite engagement ring in St Thomas last August. I love it!! It is softer though. I knew this when we got it. I did put a chip into it (reached into the couch, prong pushed down into the stone and put a chip), but had insured it so I can get it replaced when I'm ready.

 

fwiw, we went to Classique jewlers, a family-owned shop. I wouldn't go to the big chains (ie: diamonds international/tanzanite international). I feel the prices are artificially inflated.