ST. Thomas Jewerly

[bigd09]

Is St Thomas really a good place to buy jewerly. We have been there several tmes but never bought any. Is it really a good deal just curious because it s part of the US. If so whic s the best place and whch is trust worthy.

[firefly333]

im not sure about St. Thomas being part of the U.S.??

 

I went there with someone who had a older rich friend who went to certain shops there who would ply her with drinks and she bought, so Im sure she thought the deals worth it to buy. Downtown St. thomas has some nice shops. Id bet at least 3 are pretty trustworthy and email and talk to people in the U.S.

[Islandbear]

No!

 

Buy Jewlery from a locally respected shop. There is no MAGIC Island in tha Caribbean with Quality + Price + Selection.

 

You can find some unique pieces in the islands. Caribbean Silver loop bracelets, some great gems, but don't buy diamonds or watches in the islands. You will regret it.

 

We live in the "Internet World" a VSI 1 carat diamond is worth the same in Russia, Grand Cayman, or Omaha.

[xxoocruiser]

Is St Thomas really a good place to buy jewerly. We have been there several tmes but never bought any. Is it really a good deal just curious because it s part of the US. If so whic s the best place and whch is trust worthy.

 

Unless you're real proficient in your knowledge of jewelry and have done some comparision shopping before you left , than it's best not to make any big purchases. They're really aren't the deals you think.

 

Also just because it may be a shop that the Cruise Director recommended doesn't assure you that it's a good place to buy. You need to know that the CD more often than not gets a kick back from each sale. The first thing the shop asks is what ship you're on. When it gets close to the time to be back on ship you'll see the CD or someone from his staff rushing to collect their percentage of sales for that stop.

 

Also if you have any problems with your purchase after returning home you'll have a hard and costly time trying to get in serviced. WIth that said I have purchased things in St Thomas but did so knowing full well all the risks.

[Disneycruisers]

I beg to differ. We upgraded (though we kept the old one) my husband's wedding band at Diamond's International a few years back, and had it appraised at Jared Jeweler's in Dallas a few months later. It was DEFINITELY worth a more than what we paid. Also, the Rolex I purchased for my husband for our 20th wedding anniversary was selling for $1100.00 less than what I paid for it it Dallas (the same year I purchased it.) Had I known, I would have saved and paid cash, but I bought it in Dallas (at Jared also) because of the "twelve mos, no interest," plan.:(

[7toEleven]

I was sucessful in St. Thomas in getting Movada watch for about 1/2 price. Otherwise I wouldn't spend too much time shopping for deals, as one poster stated, there is just lots of kickbacks. However, if you do purchase in a ship reccommended store they do take care of you. Many years ago, purchased a ring in Jamica. There was a problem and it was fixed. Now I just purchase locally made jewlery. It is more a keepsake from the place we visited.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[mikedw]

im not sure about St. Thomas being part of the U.S.??

 

St. Thomas is a territory of the US, so you're technically in the US while you're there. Just got back from the Dream and my wife bought me a Hamilton Watch for our 10th anniversary. I love Hamiltons but there hard to find unless you live in a major city. Got it for about 400.00 less then what I could get it for here and my wife also bought a canary diamond ring. The staff at the St. Thomas Diamonds International for some of most friendly and non pressure sales people we have dealt with.

[kkdleon]

Our party made a few watch and jewelry purchases while in St Thomas last week. The men on the trip were fairly proficient in what watches were worth used vs. new and store vs. Internet. With their knowledge, we felt more than confident in our watch purchases.

 

I purchased a Philip Stein watch and 3 straps new at a locally owned (30 yrs) store for a song. The duty free can make it a good deal, but an additional discount made it great. The owner also recommended a great locally owned restaurant nearby with some of the best wood fired pizza we have ever eaten.

 

A lot of the bigger watch/jewelry stores are owned by the same people/companies. You will easily be able to tell which stores are legit and which ones you might exercise caution in. If you are looking to buy a high end watch, just ask where you send it for service. DH's Rolex can be serviced by our local jeweler, but our Tags have to go somewhere else in US.

 

We bought a tungsten men's ring and some sterling silver jewelry, but nothing high priced or high quality. I would feel uncomfortable buying diamonds or other expensive stones from anywhere. I don't know enough to not get suckered. My husband knows local jewelers who are honest, but those relationships took time. He wouldn't by high end jewelry in the Caribbean. I'm sure there are deals to be had, but it's just not something we feel comfortable with.

[zqvol]

im not sure about St. Thomas being part of the U.S.??

 

I went there with someone who had a older rich friend who went to certain shops there who would ply her with drinks and she bought, so Im sure she thought the deals worth it to buy. Downtown St. thomas has some nice shops. Id bet at least 3 are pretty trustworthy and email and talk to people in the U.S.

 

The last time I looked the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) were a US territory, and St. Thomas is the capital. In fact there is even a US District Court in Charlotte Amalie, but then what does the government know. Putting a Federal Court house somewhere outside the US.

 

To the OP there are good deals to be had, but you have to know your merchandise, and the price you would pay at home. Even if the price is the same you save whatever the tax rate is in your locality.

 

If you just want a nice piece that you like and to wear it is a great place, just stay out of the places recommended by the ship.

[Essiesmom]

I have bought a lot of jewelry in the islands, and having shopped all over the world, I can smell a bargain. I generally shop the clearance cases, and bargain from there. When they give you their lowest price, you demur, then they ask if you are using a card other than AMEX, I know I have their lowest price. the fees they have to pay AMEX are higher than other CCs, and it really hurts their profit. EM

[moran4carnival]

We just came back from our cruise and in St. Thomas we were looking for a ruby ring for our daughter. We went to many jewelry stores and finally decided on buying from Cardow jewelers. They were very nice and knew exactly what our daughter was looking for.

[golfb4cruzing]

We purchased a Fred and Ginger from Bernard Passman on St. Thomas in 2006. It has increased in value each year and still looks like new. It appraised for every penny (lots of them) we paid for it. The only drawback is getting it cleaned because of the black coral. We can send it back yearly for cleanings and inspections though. We stopped by their store in Grand Cayman in April but nothing struck us. I believe they are also stateside in Vegas.

[BlueJacketsFan1]

I have bought my wife jewelery three times during cruises. Once on the ship and twice in the islands. Each time after returning home we have taken the idem and checked the value of the price. Every idem has been worth more than we paid for it. We have never gotten anything fromt the shops the ship tell you to go too. We have looked at them, but have always found things nicer at other shops. They have shopping talks on the ship about jewelery. Check one out if you can before you go shopping.

[rickcop44]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with those here who say good buys cannot be had in the Caribbean/St. Thomas. My wife and I design and make jewelry and are always on the lookout for good buys, especially loose gemstones. Since 1993, when we took our first cruise, we have purchased many, many pieces of jewelry in the eastern Caribbean, specifically St. Thomas and to a lesser degree, St. Maarten. We have never been disappointed. It is our practice to always get our purchases appraised once we return home. Every piece has always appraised well above our purchase price - and I'm talking AGV, not the value for insurance purposes. Two quick examples: we purchased a diamond tennis bracelet from a store in St. Thomas for $900. It had been marked at $1700 when we went into the store but after an hour of dickering, we got it for the $900. It appraised at home for just under $3200.

 

Two years ago, my wife found a diamond and tanzanite necklace in a jewelry store in Havensight Mall in St. Thomas that she wanted. It was priced at $2100. We spent almost two hours negotiating a price and had them down to $1100. One thing jewelers hate is when a customer says they'll think it over and then start to leave. There are literally five jewelry stores to every block, whether it's at Havensight or downtown Charlotte Amalie. They know you can shop other stores and in fact, many stores have identical pieces of jewelry. Anyway, while my wife dickered on the necklace, I was looking at Citizen Eco Drive watches. I collect watches and had my heart set on an Eco Drive watch that cruise. The one I was zeroed in on was a Blue Angels Skyhawk. In the states, this watch retails for between $700-$900 depending on the type of store. You can sometimes get it cheaper online. The jewelry store we were in had it marked at $495. I finally said to my wife that we should look around (a phrase the sales people hate to hear) and we turned to leave. The sales person who had been helping my wife asked us what it would take to sell us the necklace. I walked over to the watch display case and pointed to the Blue Angels Skyhawk watch and said, "Throw the watch in and we have a deal." The sales person reached in and grabbed the watch and handed it to me and said, "It's yours." We walked out with a diamond and tanzanite necklace and a Citizen Eco Drive Skyhawk watch for $1100. And yes, I had the watch checked by our jeweler at home and it is genuine. By the way, the necklace appraised for almost $4000.

 

Do shop around and price compare. And do not be afraid to go into a store that isn't on the cruiseline's approved store's list. Just because a store isn't on the cruiselines approved list doesn't mean it's disreputable. It simply means that store is unwilling to hand over a fat wad of cash to get on the list. We've made many nice purchases in stores over the years that weren't on the approved list. Happy shopping!

[rxlowry]

We love Shamrock Jewelers...it is down a little alley off the main street of town. We've shopped there numerous times. The owners are great! They send us a Christmas card every year and will haggle with you over prices.

[Lazz]

My wife and I have been cruising since 1982 and I have to agree that good deals can be found in the islands. Do research before you leave and do not be afraid to negotiate and remember you have no duty or taxes up to the $ limit set by customs (I believe it is $800 per person). It is claimed that the cruise lines have arrangements made with those shops they promote on line, but I do not know if this is a fact or not. The cruise lines claim they will back the purchases from those shops, but I have never had to test that promise. My wife and I have found the best deals on St. Maartin (Dutch side), but St. Thomas has had some good offers and you can add extra allowance when buying on the US Virgin islands.

 

PS: Remember you can combine the allowance dollar amounts of you are traveling as a family. When we traveled with our daughter, the total duty-free allowance for the family was 2400 dollars (someone verify my dollar allowance please).

[DebJ14]

We have been cruising since 1968. The deals are not like they once were, but they are there if you shop around. Do your homework. Know what you want and what the US prices are. Then go to a shop and get a price. Get them to write it on a card with exact specifications. Take that to some other shops and see who will deal. We have gotten some great stuff at House of Rajah (down one of the alleys) and it has always appraised for much more in the US. Also, DH got a Rolex in St. Thomas, but only after knowing what model he wanted and checking prices here in Houston. He saved over $1000 by buying down there. Remember it is duty free shopping and we save the 8.25% sales tax we would have to pay at home.

[lillian marie]

I'd buy from a respected American discount jewerler in the US and not purchase island jewerly. Diamonds Intern. is owned by Carnival and is a respectable company, buy from them if you wish but the big deals are no longer a common issue. You'll save sales tax but not have local customer service if a problem occurs-loose stone, etc. I got a better price for my Rolex in Chicago than I've seen in the last few years in the islands and we cruise 4 plus times a year. On the plus side last year in Cosumel at a non cruise line approved store I bought a "white gold" tansanite ring after alot of haggling and leaving the store once for $100 cash. It had started at $695. I got caught up in the haggling-dealing. I didnot think the tansanite was real but 2 other US jewerlers have said it is real so it was a good buy. It's just a risk to buy there unless you shop the Diamonds or Tanzanite Intern. stores in my opinion and their prices are not a lot cheaper than in a good jewerlers row in a major city.

[cruisinbuddy]

If you were to leave Havensite port and pass all the stores and cross the street, be careful, and go up to the little strip mall and go into Majestic Jewellers, they have good prices for gold. They don't do much with precious stones. I purchased a marine link, diamond cut, 14K white gold bracelet for $489.00. When I got home, I took it to my jeweller for him to appraise it. You sitting down? $1320.00 is what it's worth. If you go tell him you're a repeat customer, he'll knock a few bucks off.

[satbeachbill]

Llilian Marie states: "Diamonds Intern. is owned by Carnival "

 

I'd like to know where you got that information? They may be indebted to Carnival for all the advertising that Carnival does for them, for which Carnival is reimbursed handsomely, but Carnival doesn't own Diamonds Interational.

[hookedoncruises12]

Is St Thomas really a good place to buy jewerly. We have been there several tmes but never bought any. Is it really a good deal just curious because it s part of the US. If so whic s the best place and whch is trust worthy.

 

 

I lived in St. Thomas for 3 years in Charlotte Amalia. Sorry I ever left there but any way there is a very reputable jewelry dealer in downtown. Cardow jewelers is a great place to shop for these kinds of things. They even give you an appraisal for the item you buy and you can come back to the US to see exactly how much you have saved!!!! :D

[slotguy777]

My wife and I havepurchased Jewelry in St. Thomas on a couple of occasions. We also have had it appraised after returning home at our local jewelers and it appraised above what we paid. We also bought 2 emerald rings in San Juan and my ring was much cheaper than in the US and it was also 18 carat gold (this all checked out back here in the states. I would stick with one of the bigger shops, Emeralds International offered a garantee and I believe a 90 day return policy. We liked the Emerald store!

[happy cruzin]

The last time I looked the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) were a US territory, and St. Thomas is the capital. In fact there is even a US District Court in Charlotte Amalie, but then what does the government know. Putting a Federal Court house somewhere outside the US.

 

To the OP there are good deals to be had, but you have to know your merchandise, and the price you would pay at home. Even if the price is the same you save whatever the tax rate is in your locality.

 

If you just want a nice piece that you like and to wear it is a great place, just stay out of the places recommended by the ship.

 

EXACTLY!!

St. Thomas is a great option - if you are buying a piece because you like it and will enjoy wearing it. Not sure I would buy any jewelery - anywhere - with the thought of investment or resale.

[gawn]

We purchased a Fred and Ginger from Bernard Passman on St. Thomas in 2006. It has increased in value each year and still looks like new. It appraised for every penny (lots of them) we paid for it. The only drawback is getting it cleaned because of the black coral. We can send it back yearly for cleanings and inspections though. We stopped by their store in Grand Cayman in April but nothing struck us. I believe they are also stateside in Vegas.

We purchased matching rings at Bernard Passman in 2008. When we go to St.Thomas, we have them cleaned. We each got another ring on the last trip in June. Love them.

[golfb4cruzing]

We really enjoy the islands for shopping but have found a new source (to us anyways) for jewelry. It's a cable station but also on the internet and their prices are unmatchable with great quality. I have nothing to do with these people other than a customer. They are not on every cable system but they are also good for giving you an education. They also sell loose stones...ie 20 carat Tanzanite. We have bought our share on the boats (blue diamonds) and the islands but are far more selective now. liquidationchannel dot com