Jewlery shopping in Western ports vs. Eastern!

BeanoC

I almost don't feel the way I do.
Joined
Sep 15, 2000
Messages
3,875
We've all heard the story before - You go, you shop, you find something you love... and you don't buy it! :)

Last year, DW found a tanzanite/diamond ring in St. Thomas that she loved, but didn't buy. After coming home and comparison shopping she realized what a great deal it was. However, this year we are going on the western cruise so we are wondering if there are places in Cozumel and/or Cayman where good deals can be had on tanzanite jewlery - as good as St. Thomas and St. Maarten.


Can anyone compare for us the shopping as it pertains to jewelry prices?

And if in fact we can find great prices in Cayman or Cozumel, where?


THANKS!!


'Beano':cool:
 
I am very curious if the western has good deals too. I have found that in the east St. Maarten has by far the best bargins. And I mean on the dutch side. I picked up a beautiful sapphire/diamond tennis bracelet for 600.00 (USD) on the dutch side that was 750.00 on the french side 950.00 in St. Thomas and back home appraised at 1200.00! I would love to get another piece when we go western in Dec. but don't know if such deals abound there. Ann
 
bump!!!

I had a great time shopping in St Marten for diamonds! I got a pair of diamond earrings for $400 and when I got them home they appraised for $1200!! I was hoping to pick up a great deal on the Western as well.

Renee
:Pinkbounc
 
Bump! We are also going the Western this summer and had a good time shopping in St. Martin last year. Anyone have jewelry shopping recommendations in Cozumel?
 

Be careful where you buy. I purchased a really nice necklace, earrings and bracelet, all Marquisite stones and all matched $300 in St. Maarten. The bracelet broke, one of the links lost a little small loop and I brought it to a trusted jeweler here in my home town of Syracuse, NY and it could not be fixed, the jeweler is a good friend of our's and I trust him with everything. He said the stones would be ruined because it would have to be soldered together and it would ruin the whole bracelet. I was really bummin, but at least I still have the earrings and the necklace. So be aware of what you are buying and how it is put together.
 
Wow! I am suprised by all the deals everyone got. When we were in St. Marrtan and St. Thomas, we thought the prices were high.

I have many natural gemstone pieces that I have purchased from one jeweler (in NYC) for the past 6 years. Everything I buy is at least appraised by local (CT) jewelers for more than 3 times what I paid.

When we went to St. M, I found a 3.5 carat tanzanite with 1 carat of diamonds and they wanted $5500! The tanzanite was very good quality (although I think US and UK have much clearer stones) and so were the diamonds. However, in NYC the same ring would be around $2000, without the customs issues.

Also, if you buy a gem out of state and mail it to your home, many jewelers do not need to charge you tax!

I am looking forward to the beautiful sterling artisan pieces in Cozzie! The stuff that never makes it up to our neck of the woods......

I like Little Switzerland and bought some china and crystal there, but mostly I bought t-shirts (5 for $20) ~
 
I agree that wonderful jewelry bargains can be had in NYC. I was trying to find something for my mom and I gave her a call with some prices and descriptions of earrings and eventually we just decided that she could do much better in NY. Of course she has the kind of relationship with her jeweler where he lets her take home the piece for the weekend and try it out to see if she likes it before deciding whether to purchase or return it so that might have something to do with it.

I did, however, get a great deal on a platinum and diamond semimount for my engagement ring. The only reason I knew it was a great deal is because I had been shopping for one for months. I also found the jewelry prices to be significantly higher in St. Thomas than St. Maarten.

On our western cruise I am looking forward to no shopping, all snorkeling!

Lisa
 
When we went to St. M, I found a 3.5 carat tanzanite with 1 carat of diamonds and they wanted $5500! The tanzanite was very good quality (although I think US and UK have much clearer stones) and so were the diamonds. However, in NYC the same ring would be around $2000, without the customs issues.



was the 5500 in US dollars or in dutch currency? All the prices of items we saw were in dutch currency and you have to convert it ( I believe it is something like 1.8 percent down) to US currency. Plus in St. Maarten they like to haggle on jewelry. The store wanted several hundred more than we were willing to pay but came down to a middle ground from our offer. Also the dutch side is much much cheaper than the french and St. Thomas is more expensive than both, I thought the prices there were pretty close to home.
 
I purchased 2 pairs of earrings in St. Maarten last October. They appraised for at least double what I payed for them.
We just got back from a different cruise. We stopped in Cozumel. I got a great price on a Tanzanite/diamond pendant to go with the earrings I bought in October. I think it was Goodmark jewelers.
We went to Diamonds International and they came down by half on the price they wanted for a diamond bracelet. I still didn't buy it. The more disinterested you are, the more the price comes down!
 

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