Quality of jewelry in St. M/St. T

[CSX2]

Looking for opinions on the quality, selection, and price of jewelry at the Eastern Caribbean ports. Specifically interested in watches and diamonds. Any favorite shops?

 

[AnnMorin]

I got a beautiful Sapphire/Diamond tennis bracelet there. Appraised for 1400.00 back home and I paid 600.00. Excellent quality!

 

[TinkerBellPixie4GOAL]

Columbian Emeralds had some great jewelry! It has really good promise too! It's in St. Thomas. We stopped in there during the rain. (There was lots!)

They have gorgeous opals and diamonds too!

 

[tecdavidt]

I have bought a lot of jewelry at Omni jewelers. They are in St. Maarten and St. Thomas. I always worried that the pieces were not the real thing, they are. Great buys and you can find lovely designs that you just can't find here, or at least here in Iowa. I get a lot of compliments on my purchases, even from my own jeweler. Kathy

 

[gdulaney]

My dh bought me a gorgeous diamond anniversary ring at DI (Diamonds Intl) in St. Thomas. They were wonderful & I can't wait to go back next August.

I've also bought several gold items at OMNI. The folks there are also very friendly!! Not at all pushy!

Don't discount what the onboard shopping guide has to say. Kerri is absolutely wonderful!! Her lectures are full of great info (and she usually has door prizes!!).

Good Luck!

 

[MdmMim]

Regarding watches, if you're interested in a particular type/brand of watch, you might want to look around at home before your cruise so you're familiar with prices. We found that we could get a much better deal at home than in either St. Thomas or St. Maarten.

 

[rytayntigger2]

My wife purchased a Tanzanite and Diamond bracelet at Tanzanite International in St. Maartin (the store is recommended in the ship navigator) It was priced at just under $13,000.00 and after 45 mins of negotiations (we left and returned twice) we bought it for $3700.00…..she just had it appraised for $11,800.00….one tip, wait until the end of the day to purchase – they are aware of the ship’s departure time….good luck

 

[Quickdraw]

rytayntigger2 is correct! Do your tshirt-tropical night shopping in early afternnoon but leave time for jewelery shopping. It takes time and patience to get a good buy. On 9/11/02 I bought a stunning 4 carat tanzanite loose stone (at OMNI) and a diamond bracelet (at DI) but it took 1.5 hours to get the price I wanted. My husband was worried we would miss the ship. They know when the ship departs and they want to close the deal. Both pieces appraised at double what I paid. When I took the tanzanite in to be set in a pendant my jeweler asked to buy the loose stone from me! They have wonderful things! Next time I cruise I will make sure to budget in some more "fun money" for jewelry.

Quickdraw

 

[CSX2]

Thanks to everyone for the tips. We will be prepared! Just one more question from a non-jewelry type. What is tanzanite?

 

[rytayntigger2]

Tanzanite is a rare stone coming from only one place in the world, the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is most known for it's deep, vibrant blue color, with hints of violet. Some stones appear more violet, and most will display both colors depending on the light source. Tanzanite is not a hard a stone like a diamond, ruby or sapphire, but more of a softer stone like an emerald or opal.