Best price for jewelry in the Caribbean?

[CWcruisers]

Doing a B2B on the Carnival Miracle in December and hitting both St Maarten and St Thomas. Who has the best prices? Any one know?

[KC_fn]

I've heard it both ways. But from my experience on St Thomas, the tales of super-fabulous bargains are a myth. I got a very nice piece, but I paid about what I would have in the States. If I'd been offered the same piece for half the price, I would have walked away.

 

Know your prices before you go.

[Name game]

I have also heard that some people like St. Thomas better for jewelry shopping and other like St. Maarten. I personally like St. Maarten better.

[Lowie]

i like buying in the good old USA if you are looking for a pricey item. if you are looking for a more inexpensive souvenier then go for either place. if you see something you like in your first port you can't just hop back and get it.

 

i made this mistake in cozumel this year, passed on a great deal on a rolex. but everyone said to wait until a shop in jamaica, who didn't have it :~(

 

look around for other threads of people who bought stuff that didn't turn out to be what they they were told. even buying through cruise lines 'preferred' vendors doesn't help.

[fllady]

If its gold or gems we want we have a couple of jewelery stores we shop with. 2 in St Thomas and 1 in St Marteen. The owners are related.

[perlgirlnj]

If its gold or gems we want we have a couple of jewelery stores we shop with. 2 in St Thomas and 1 in St Marteen. The owners are related.

 

If you like & trust them, I'd love a recommendation.

[fllady]

If you like & trust them, I'd love a recommendation.

 

I can't do it on here but if you email me and put 'Cruise Critic' in the title I'll send you their addresses.

[CWcruisers]

fllady,

 

I would love a recommendation also, but I do not know how to email you. I did not see an email address in your profile.

 

I am interested in colored gemstones and tanzanite.

 

Thanks, perhaps you could email me at wmiller9999@yahoo.com.

[fllady]

fllady,

 

I would love a recommendation also, but I do not know how to email you. I did not see an email address in your profile.

 

I am interested in colored gemstones and tanzanite.

 

Thanks, perhaps you could email me at wmiller9999@yahoo.com.

 

Sorry about that, I have been just unpacking and do8ing laundry from our 16 day cruise of I am tired and forgot to add my email: :o which is;)

 

fllady13 at yahoo dot com

[newmexicoNita]

to be honest, the days of great deals are gone. If you see something you really love either place, it is a bargain, cause you like it. If you expect to save a forturne NOT!!! I do think the selection in St thomas is better, but the shops in St Maartin have nicer merchants.

 

Nita

[fllady]

to be honest, the days of great deals are gone. If you see something you really love either place, it is a bargain, cause you like it. If you expect to save a forturne NOT!!! I do think the selection in St thomas is better, but the shops in St Maartin have nicer merchants.

 

Nita

 

We have bought with these people for over 10 years, in fact the stores in St Thomas were recommended to us around 1996-7. You can also bargin with them, when they give your husband a can of beer and tell them to sit down, theywant to talk to you, then you go into your bargining mode. ;)

[mitzy52]

I am not a shopper nor into jewelry that much but my mother in law is. She preferred St Thomas for jewelery.

[agabbymama]

I found the stores in St. Thomas to be more willing to lower the price. I wasn't really shopping for jewelry, but I did find a tri-gold turtle charm & chain, so once I had bought that then walked into other shops, the sales people could tell I had made a purchase.

 

I don't remember the name of the shop, but it was right at the pier, once we walked in there, the salesman really wanted to sell. I ended up buying tri-gold earrings, ring, and bracelet. So I had a matching set, sort of.

 

He would give me a price, and I would decline, he just kept going lower, until he finally gave me a price I could live with. I ended up paying $450 for all 5 pieces, and the jeweler here gave me an estimate for insurance purposes of $1300, so I felt I got a good price.

 

I don't think I would buy diamonds or really expensive jewlery so far from home, but lots of folks do.

[DDWW]

I once asked one of the officers on deck where they go to buy jewelry in St. Thomas. He recommended a small store one street off the main track (and not on their recommended list) and we were very happy with price and selection.

Try asking the crew where they buy.

 

 

DDWW

[fllady]

fllady,

 

I would love a recommendation also, but I do not know how to email you. I did not see an email address in your profile.

 

I am interested in colored gemstones and tanzanite.

 

Thanks, perhaps you could email me at wmiller9999@yahoo.com.

email is on its way, hope it can help you.

[momofmeg]

Doing a B2B on the Carnival Miracle in December and hitting both St Maarten and St Thomas. Who has the best prices? Any one know?

 

The best prices I have found are at home. DO NOT be fooled into buying "top grade" tanzanite-it is a sales pitch and you can get better at better prices right here in the good ole USA.

[newmexicoNita]

We have bought with these people for over 10 years, in fact the stores in St Thomas were recommended to us around 1996-7. You can also bargin with them, when they give your husband a can of beer and tell them to sit down, theywant to talk to you, then you go into your bargining mode. ;)

ok, let's put it this way: generally speaking, there are no great deals anymore. I am sure there are exceptions to every statement.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

The best prices I have found are at home. DO NOT be fooled into buying "top grade" tanzanite-it is a sales pitch and you can get better at better prices right here in the good ole USA.

I agree, I think the biggest rip off for me was my tanzanite I purchased in St Thomas, the best deal, my saphine ear rings also in St Thomas. DH bought his pride and joy watch in St thomas about 5 years ago. Did he save? Yes, about $100, but when we consider what he paid for it, this is a very small savings. Of course no sales tax does make some difference.

 

Nita

[fann1sh]

Prices are quite similar on both islands. Shop them both. If you see exactly what you want on the first island you reach, at a price you like - grab it! You won't find it significantly cheaper on the next island, and likely won't find it at all!

For most non-gemologists, the smartest buy on either island is usually karat gold, or sterling silver, no stones. You can easily check on local prices for these items, per gram, at local stores, or on the shopping channels.

On your cruise, ask the vendor what the price per gram is. If they don't have/use a carat or gram scale, walk away - they're not professional.

BTW, 1 gram is 5 carat.

I haven't seen sterling or karat gold faked on either island - just be sure you ask (and check the mark) to verify it's solid, not plated or bonded.

I'm a part time jeweler, not a GIA gemologist. But, I do have many years experience and have seen lots of scams, as well as outright fakes. I'd avoid most of the tanzanite, and larimar available on either island...some "tanzanite" is in fact much cheaper iolite, and larimar is beginning to be faked. Ammolite prices are horribly inflated, although at least no one has yet been able to fake imperials (the ones with 5 digit price tags). Lower grade ammolite is usually spinel capped (nothing wrong with that - but should be much cheaper) and the lowest category is mozaic (assembled chips - much cheaper yet).

Jewelry can be a fine souvenir, but it is never *never* NEVER an "investment". It is nearly impossible for a casual shopper to sell and net more than you paid for it, no matter HOW it appraises!

[sail7seas]

Remember that your duty free allotment is higher for goods purchased in St. Thomas than in St. Maarten. You will reach your duty free limit faster when shopping outside the USVI.

 

[CWcruisers]

Wow everybody, what great tips. You are right Fann1sh (cute kitty), I never buy jewelry as an investment. I buy and wear it because I like it, but I also want to get the best price I can. I am mostly into colored gem stones and am looking for a ruby bracelet to add to my collection. I am curious, if the jeweler offers you a certificate, does that really mean that it is certified to be what the certificate says it is.

 

I also thought that was a great suggestion from DDWW to ask crew members where they shop. They have had more time to explore than we have.

[forensic]

As was previously stated there are not 'good deals'. I purchased a set of .75(each) carat diamond earrings in a store in St. Maarten last winter, in 18K gold 4 prong settings. From the same 'jeweler' I also purchased a total weight 1.8 total weight diamond ring that was made up of 'pie cut' diamonds. When he first showed me the ring it was in a white gold setting, I asked if he had one in yellow gold. "No, but I will reset it for you, if you can give me about 1.5 hours." I was also interested in earrings but the ones he showed me were .5 each and he had 1 carat each and I asked if he had .75 each and he said "If you are going to wait for the ring I can make you up a set of the earrings, as I have the diamonds, they just are not set." OK, set everything in yellow gold and we will be back. So he sends us down the street for lunch, on him! Nice lunch, 1.5 hours later we come back, not done yet, we go away for another hour, come back almost done, wait around another 1/2 hour all is done. I had traded in a 1/3 set of very fine diamond earrings plus paid for everything and we left.

When I got home, took to a "real jeweler" (not one in a mall). First, the earrings, they were not matched stones, they were not even the same size and VERY poor quality. I should have paid about 1/2 of what I paid. Plus I wanted them re-set so they would not have screw backs, when they reset them for me, they found out the settings were Stainless Steel that they had "plated" in 14K gold. I also wanted them to resize the ring for me as my hands were puffy in the Caribbean, the ring had NOT been reset at all. They had "dipped" the white gold ring, and plated it in yellow gold, it would have worn off. I called the jeweler and after many, many, many phones calls and finally phones calls from my attorney he agreed to refund my money and the items were returned to him.

 

My jeweler told me if I want jeweler of that quality he can get it for me at 1/2 the price - just ask him and stop wasting my money.

In telling my story I have talked with many, many, many others with similar stories. Be smart don't spend your money down there where you have almost no recourse.

[wiz54]

Hey fllady! I read your post and I would also love the names of your jewelry "contacts". If you don't mind would you please email me the info? I tried emailing you and it encountered difficulty. thanks so much Liz (wiz54@chartermi.net)

[fllady]

Hey fllady! I read your post and I would also love the names of your jewelry "contacts". If you don't mind would you please email me the info? I tried emailing you and it encountered difficulty. thanks so much Liz (wiz54@chartermi.net)

 

addresses on the way!;)