Opals....Australia or New Zealand?

[Andrea A]

Going on the DP next Tuesday and plan to buy an Opal ring or pendant. I know Aus. is the place, but the exchange rate seems better in New Zealand. Just wondering if anyone has any shops to recommend in either country? Or better yet, places to avoid?

Did anyone price jewelry on the ship?

Thanks,

Andrea

[Sunmail]

Hi, Andrea,

 

I bought 2 pieces on the ship. We had no shopping time in Australia and I didn't see any opals in New Zealand.

 

On the ship, they had opals from a specific jewelry company and one of the owners gave talks on mining and other opal info. I got a pendant that is called a doublet since it has a thin layer of opal on top of something else to look like a larger stone. It was around $180. I also got a 2.8 carat solid fire opal ring that was around $1200. It is set in white gold and is gorgeous. I wore it to work today since it's my first day back and got lots of compliments.

 

We had no time for research so I don't know if these were good deals but I was satisfied with the value. There were plenty of beautiful pieces on the ship for thousands of dollars, too.

 

Tami

[Andrea A]

Thanks for the post. If you're happy and can afford it, then you got a good deal. My husband has been studying Opals, knows about the solids, doublets, triplets, etc. I'm sure he'll be at the lecture, and I will see what the ship has to offer, plus I have a few days in Australia so should be able to shop.

Andrea

[Kiwi Kruzer]

If you have the time to shop pre cruise your best buys should be ashore in Sydney.Taking them with you, out of the country, should also qualify for duty free.

[pamj9407]

Kiwi Kruzer

 

Any opal orders recommended for online shipping to your knowledge?

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

My wife bought 3 opals on our recent trip to NZ and Australia. We both thought the opals offered on-board the Diamond Princess were of good quality, but overpriced. Since there are many jewelry stores in Sydney, the competition does seem to control prices as long as you have some understanding of Opals. Also, the selection in Sydney is unbelievable. We had 5 days in Sydney and must have visited over a dozen stores. Personally, I thought the doublets were the most beautiful..although the solid stones are more valuable.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[CAPinBoynton]

Just in case anyone is interested, I have just finished the EasyShare Photo album. It has 548 photos of our Diamond Princess Cruise. You can access it by going to our website at www.thepreismans.com and clicking on NZ - Australia yellow button. Scroll down to the end of the review and you will find link to the album.

 

Enjoy ---

[Aussie Gal]

I adore opals and love the Boulder opals. When buying a triplet or doublet just remember that are really not worth anything as they are only a sliver of opal mounted on a backing.

 

The true opal is solid right through. Also they are a stone that should not be put into water so if you have a ring made of opal make sure you take it off your finger when washing.

 

As there are loads of shops in Sydney that sell opals I would wait until you arrived there as I am sure they would be a lot cheaper than on the ship. Just make sure that they have a sign on the window that certifies them as proper opal traders. You will get the GST refunded at the airport when you fly out. It is just over 10%. Make sure you take your receipt with you and have the jewellery on hand, not packed away in your luggage.

 

Jennie

[gipper77]

We enjoyed your website. We plan to so this cruise next year same time. If I can ask how much luggage were you able to take with you, total. These pictures were awesome. You did a great job. Hope that we can do the same with our pictures.We will fly from LA or start in Palm Springs.

Thank You

Dave & Mary:)

[CAPinBoynton]

The luggage depends upon which airline you are using and where it's going. Your best bet is always to check the airline website for each one that you use. Also, new rules can go into effect before next year. I wonder how long it will be before the "powers that be" decide that they can save even more money by allowing even less luggage weight. :eek:

 

For this trip we traveled before the current new weights went into effect. We took three large pieces of checked luggage and two carry ons. The larger pieces were borderline to begin with; and we bought lots of stuff, so on the way back I loaded down our expandable carry on with the heaviest items. Then I checked it as our fourth piece.