Best place/Island to shop for gold/diamonds

[mcot1016]

I will be going to the eastern carribean on the emerald princess on march 21-28, 2010 and i was wodnering if i was to buy at st thomas,st martin or grand turk.......Thanks for all your help

[Lake Huron Sunsets]

St. Thomas & St. Martin are equally good, have bought items on both.

[beachseeker]

I prefer St. Martin for shopping. Not much shopping at Grand Turk but there is a long stretch of beautiful beach to explore. Can't wait to go back to Grand Turk.

[golffore2001]

We prefer St. Martin. Have purchased a number of items at Ballerina's jewelers and was never sure just how good a deal I received. For 25th anniversary I brought her a replacement engagement ring to upgrade and just had it appraised..It appraised at over twice what I paid for it. I know that is always subjective, but at least I felt I got good value for purchase.

[rjack22]

Another vote for St. Maartens! I think they have better prices.

[mcot1016]

Alrighty sounds like im bringing my money for st maartens ....And always we always want to make sure we are getting deals or right around it....Glad you were all happy with the jewlery and also its always good to be doubled for what you bought....I like gold chains and braclets.....

[RocksNoSalt]

I have purchased jewelry in St. Thomas and St. Martin. At both places I went to Grand Jewelers. I have been dealing with Jackie (owner) at the St. Thomas Grand Jewelers for years. I have a gorgeous 18 kt. blue and white diamond ring that I adore and get tons of compliments.

 

I also have a gorgeous 1.5 round diamond surrounded by 1.5 kt channel set diamonds in 18 kt. white gold. It is stunning...

I have to say they are extremely fair on their pricing and you should bargain with them.... They give you written appraisals and my insurance company at home accepted them...

 

I really can't say enough good things about Grand Jewelers....Happy shopping!

[caribill]

In general, you may have a better experience at shops that are not on the Princess recommended list. This is because these shops pay for the recommendations and therefore build that cost into any price that they charge.

 

Most important is to do research before your cruise so you know what quality of gold jewelry or diamonds you are looking for and what this quality would cost you in your hometown. Only then can you know if what you find on your cruise is a good value.

[CHOOSE-2-CRUISE]

St. Maarten is great for shopping I have bought two breitling watches there, the first was a colt gmt in 2005 ( http://www.swisswatches.co.uk/watch/4826/Breitling%20Colt%20GMT/ )and I paid $1500 and now they are around $3450 in the uk, and last year I bought a Avenger seawolf chrono for $3390 and in the uk they are $5460.

 

http://www.watchfinder.co.uk/breitling/Avenger-Seawolf-Watches/A73390-m13094-watch.aspx

[OutofNJ!]

Hands down, St. Martin. St. Thomas is an American port and I find it to be quite expensive as far as Caribbean shopping goes. Jewlery is best in St. Martin.

[morgiemoo]

I have bought many items in St Maarten, very happy with the results. I go to Kay Jewelers and they have always been good. Diamonds Intl is also a place to look into.

[1FatPER]

Diamonds Intl is also a place to look into.

 

And then walk out of.:)

[jewopaho]

... appraised at over twice what I paid for it.

 

This issue appears regularly on CC threads. I agree that St. Maarten is the better of the two shopping venues. But here's a major caveat ... an appraisal for twice the cost does not mean that you bought the item for half-price. There are all kinds of appraisals ... wholesale, retail, insurance replacement, etc. And the source is most important ... GIA (Gemological Instutute of America) carries the most credibility. I spent several years in the business, and often had to break the bad news to customers. The advice about checking things out stateside is excellent. A true quality stone is usually graded at least VVS (very, very slight inclusions [flaws]), while the more common diamonds are in the SI (slightly included) category. Color should be H or higher (the closer to "A" the letter of the alphabet is, the "whiter" the stone ... a yellow cast is usually visible from "I" and beyond ). Use a one-carat round brilliant cut diamond, VVS clarity, H color as your benchmark. One thing you're sure to save is the sales tax ... the rest can be a crapshoot. Do your research ... and have a great cruise!

 

Al

[iancal]

Appraisals are a meaningless sales tool. Here in Canada, a number of years ago, a large US based department store was charged by Consumer Affairs, for advertising diamond wedding/engagement rings at 50/60 percent off (when they were not) and for providing what was referred to as 'inaccurate jewelry appraisal certificates' with these rings. The retail department store settled quietly and agreed to stop this deceptive practice. Insurance companies will always take the appraisal...the higher the appraisal the higher the premium. People actually think that the ring they buy for $1000. magically increases in value to $2,000. because they get a worthless piece of appraisal paper with it. The ring is still worth, at best $1000. simply because any Joe off the street can walk in and buy if for $1000., just as the other person did. Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. Or do people believe that these stores sell at cost or below with no markup to cover overheads, commissions, etc. and in some cases very large referral charges from the cruise lines because we cruisers are all such nice people?

[asctony]

Diamonds Intl is also a place to look into.

 

Yes, LOOK into to. Very high prices and you can do better at other stores in St. Maarteen. Cruise lines push stores that pay big $$$$ for the advertising onboard. Have talked to many shop owners and they verify the big $$$$ the cruise lines want.

[traveler525]

Both islands are good. You are allowed a higher duty free allowance from St. Thomas.

 

Reason I love shopping (I have on both islands) there is because I cannot find the same variety at home. And there are many unique things I cannot find at home either.

 

I have also bought at independent stores and even a couple "ship" sponsored ones. Sometimes the ship sponsored ones have something I want that I cannot find in the other stores (not because they gave me the better price).

 

I always negotiate. And negotiate some more :-).

[BigR]

Another vote for Grand Jewelers, St. Maarten. They have always treated us right.

[caribill]

Both islands are good. You are allowed a higher duty free allowance from St. Thomas.

 

 

Unmounted diamonds have no duty charged when brought into the USA, no matter what their value.

 

Put it in a mounting and it becomes subject to a duty allowwance above which you will need to pay some import taxes.

 

If you see a mounting you like, buy it, but do not have the stone mounted in it until you are back home.

[RocksNoSalt]

In general, you may have a better experience at shops that are not on the Princess recommended list. This is because these shops pay for the recommendations and therefore build that cost into any price that they charge.

 

Most important is to do research before your cruise so you know what quality of gold jewelry or diamonds you are looking for and what this quality would cost you in your hometown. Only then can you know if what you find on your cruise is a good value.

 

I couldn't agree more. I try to avoid all stores recommended by the cruise line due to their markup. You have to do your research and know what is a good price and the quality of what you are buying. Always negotiate. I have never had a problem with Grand Jewelers in St. Thomas or St. Martin...

[auggie43054]

I have to vote for Diamonds International in St. Thomas. My husband bought my engagement ring there and when I broke the ring because of a boating mishap, I went back to St. Thomas and got another diamond. After buying the diamond and leaving port, I wasn't completely satisfied and wanted something on the higher end of the color scale. When I returned home, DI's corporate office in New York found another diamond for me, sent it FedEx to me to inspect and make a decision before returning my diamond to them via prepaid FedEx package. AND, they gave me $200 back because the diamond was a little less expensive.

[lhsail]

We have shopped at Kay's in St. Maarten several times and been very pleased. We've always worked with Bob.

[TwiliteNights]

Guess, I'll put my 2 cents in here for St. Maarten. Kay's Jewelry is the one I deal with yearly. The owner also owns Kay's in Aruba and his son did manage that store,..do not know if he's still there. the owner is known for designing one of a kind pieces which I am delighted to possess. Diamonds Intl. is fine, but I'll choose St. Maarten over St. Thomas any day for the best value in gold and diamonds.

[ovccruiser]

Whilst I would agree with St Thomas and St Maarten, St Kitts have over the last few years spent a lot of money developing the dock area and there are some nice shops there now.

[linh123]

I have been using Grand Jewelers in St. Thomas for many years. This is a family owned business. They are very fair, honest and pleasant to deal with. Actually I can not think of a better place to shop. As far as Diamond's International - beware. You must do your homework before you leave if you are looking for a specific item. I just purchased a watch from them. I did not do my homework. I like the watch I bought, but found I could have purchased it from Amazon at half the price.