Buying loose diamonds in St. Martin

[teripg]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this site and and learning soooooooo much in such a short time. I can't believe the wealth of information here

DH and I are looking for new white gold wedding bands for our 25th anniversary next year. I thought I found my ring but it turns out the setting (invisible setting) is not very durable so the hunt is on for the perfect ring

We will be going on a caribbean cruise and one stop is St. Martin. I know they are known for their diamonds and initially we were planning to purchase our bands there. Since then, we thought it might be better to look here at home in Toronto. A friend mentioned the possiblity of buying loose diamonds there.

Has anyone here bought loose diamonds in St. Martin? Anyone want to chime in about the the benefits or risks of buying loose diamonds in St. Martin?

Thanks so much,

Teri

 

[distracts]

Buying online from an American retailer will be much cheaper. Buying in St. Martin, you're unlikely to have the time to price compare or get the specs checked out to see if it's an excellent cut. You'll probably overpay and get stuck with a diamond that is less than you could have gotten for the money from elsewhere, with no option to return or very difficult returns.

eta: I'm also confused as to what exactly you're looking for. Can you post a link to the type of ring you want?

 

[AprilBaby]

Buying in the islands never seems like much of a deal. Grand cayman was just a giant shopping mart and they specialize in cuts no one ever heard of such as "crown of light". Very poor deals. Trust me I checked. Could do much better online.

 

[teripg]

Thanks so much distracts and AprilBaby for your feedback. I will NOT look loose diamonds in St. Martin.

Would the same hold true in trying to purchase a ring in the islands as well? I really DON'T want to waste money but I always hear what amazing deals people get when they buy diamonds on the islands. I don't want to miss out on a good deal.


Thanks again,

Teri

 

[rubybeth]

Thanks so much distracts and AprilBaby for your feedback. I will NOT look loose diamonds in St. Martin.

Would the same hold true in trying to purchase a ring in the islands as well? I really DON'T want to waste money but I always hear what amazing deals people get when they buy diamonds on the islands. I don't want to miss out on a good deal.


Thanks again,

Teri

What are you looking for? What is the budget? How do you know people have gotten a great 'deal' if you don't know what comparable items would cost from other vendors? Online sellers typically have lower overhead than bricks & mortar jewelry stores, no matter where the store is located, so can sell for less.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

It's kind of risky, IMO, buying any jewelry while on a cruise stop because you have no way to return or exchange the piece if you later learn that the diamond isn't what you thought it was and overpaid and/or if there is a problem with the ring.

You can get EXCELLENT prices through online vendors who have EXCELLENT return policies, as well, so it's much more practical!

 

[teripg]

Hi RubyBeth,

I belong to a Cruise message board where lots of people are alway stating that they get much better deals there than they would back home. That is what I am going on, no personal experience here.

I would love to have a princess cut and baguette diamond band and I could spend about $5000. I don't want the diamonds to go all around. I would prefer five to seven stones. I saw one (or a partial one LOL) where there were princess cuts alternated with double horizontal baguettes I think I am looking for a bar set setting. I am quite new to all of this and getting pretty overwhelmed with all there is to learn

MC--I always wonder how safe it would be to buy jewellery on an island but I am ALWAYS amazed with the wonderful jewels people come back on the ship with

Thanks everyone,

Teri

 

[distracts]

I belong to a Cruise message board where lots of people are alway stating that they get much better deals there than they would back home. That is what I am going on, no personal experience here.

No offense to those people, but I've NEVER seen fine jewelry anywhere near a cruise ship selling for less than I could get something very similar for in the states, especially online. But the cruise ships are giant advertising hubs that spend lots of time and effort convincing people they CAN get good deals... but I've never seen one. In my experience, the prices are comparable to high-end US jewelry stores, and the misinformation is rife. The prices I see tanzanite going for are absolutely, sickeningly ridiculous. I've looked for jewelry deals at cruise stops (and I've been to St. Martin), but I haven't found one I'd be comfortable with. Now, if you find something you really like, are good at judging price and it's reasonable, and know you won't need to return it, there's no problem with buying, but I wouldn't be under the impression you got a deal. Unless you really did, which usually requires more knowledge of pricing of goods and quality than the average consumer has.

 

[swingirl]

I guessing there is no return policy under those circumstances.

 

[echomomm]

I have to agree with distracts. The ships have fantastic marketing machines telling you what to shop for and exactly where to shop for it. They assure you the deals are fantastic and that the products are top-notch. But I've been to St. Martin and a number of other Caribbean ports, and I've never seen a deal or quality to beat what I could get online. That's not to say that buying a piece of fun jewelry is a bad idea; it is always nice to have something to remember the trip by. But for major purchases, I will always stick to vendors I know and trust and can get service from after my purchase.

 

[teripg]

Thanks so much for all the valuable input regarding buying diamonds in St. Martin.

I have read on the cruise message boards, that the cruise line does get kick backs from the stores they promote. I certainly don't feel I have enough knowledge to even think of trying to do that LOL

I am so grateful for all the information I am getting on this site. I am learning so much in a very short time.

 

[rubybeth]

I belong to a Cruise message board where lots of people are alway stating that they get much better deals there than they would back home. That is what I am going on, no personal experience here.

I would love to have a princess cut and baguette diamond band and I could spend about $5000. I don't want the diamonds to go all around. I would prefer five to seven stones. I saw one (or a partial one LOL) where there were princess cuts alternated with double horizontal baguettes I think I am looking for a bar set setting. I am quite new to all of this and getting pretty overwhelmed with all there is to learn

Well, I belong to PS and I hate to see people getting ripped off on jewelry purchases. I think $5k is a generous budget, so you should be able to get exactly what you want.

Do you mean a channel set band, like this one from ID Jewelry: http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_27&products_id=11011 - you could likely get larger princess cuts, like this band with rounds: http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_27&products_id=10992 or with the baguettes turned the other way: http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_27&products_id=11038 ?

Or do you actually mean bar set, like this: http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_27&products_id=11054 or this http://idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_27&products_id=11143 ?

If any of those are close to the right thing, but you want bigger carat weight or different specs, give Yekutiel at ID Jewelry a call. He has worked miracles for people on tight budgets, just be sure to mention you are from Pricescope. You can read more by searching PS for "IDJ" or "ID Jewelry" or "Yekutiel." There are other sellers to recommend, but ID Jewelry has lots of band options on their site.

 

[AnneinGA]

I felt the need to chime in here.

Run. Away. Do not buy diamonds on the Islands.

OK, now for the why. Having gotten back from St. Martin/St. Thomas in October; I was very interested to see the details of diamond shopping and had heard all the things you have on the cruise boards. Here's my issue: 1) the buying process in the islands is *high pressure* and I don't mean a little. It's the worst of the worst car salesman feel with salespeople chasing you in the streets. 2) the certifications are iffy at best. I did not see anything that I wanted to purchase that I thought was a good enough deal to actually buy it. 3) the prices are not "you get what you pay for". What I would suggest to you is that you go look at one of the online vendors for what you really want and get prices. Then when you're down there look at the quality you're getting for almost the same price. 4) returns are a nightmare. 5) The ships and the "passenger advocate" are in cahoots. The cruise ship shopper is there to direct you to the stores where he earns a nice fat commission.

Now, I will tell you I did buy a watch from a certified dealer, made what I thought was an excellent deal and got them to throw in a $750 watch for my husband. I was happy, and I still am happy, because I checked before I left on the watch stores and who was an authorized dealer, got exactly what I wanted and paid less than retail in the US. Plus, no sales tax.

Hope this helps.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

We have heard several bad stories here over the years about bad cruise purchases, and one of the appraisers here one time was kind enough to help facilitate a return which is extremely difficult. So it is a REALLY good thing you came here first! Buying diamonds can be a shady business anywhere, and thankfully with some good advice, you can buy without fear!

 

[bernersnuggler]

I travel to St Maarten quite a bit as it is my very favourite place to go. I have bought diamonds there in the past and really don't recommend doing so. You really need to know your diamonds as there are some very shady dealers down there. I compared what they had to offer me in the stores to what I could get online and there was no comparison. They deal a lot with EGL certified diamonds and other certifications. I have had people I know buy even from Diamonds International (which all the cruise lines push the hell out of) and get royally screwed. The diamond didn't even appraise close to what the certificate said the quality of the stone was. Very scary. When you only have a limited time to look and such high pressure sales, it doesn't make for a really great experience. And don't think you'll be getting some premium ideal diamonds to look at. I got very frustrated with being shown pretty crappy diamonds with a hefty price tag.

 

[Sky56]

I returned from a Caribbean cruise last month. I spent a lot of time looking at the jewelry stores and trust me, I saw loads of awful, overpriced diamond and gemstone jewelry. The sales pressure is intense; you can't just browse without a salesperson "stalking" you. The cruise ship really hawked these vendors as being great. When I got home, I read lots of horror stories on-line about bad return policies, rip-offs, unhappy customers. I bought a beautiful sterling silver Marahlago larimar ring for a souvenir but steered clear of diamonds and fine jewelry...though I looked at a number of diamond items with my loupe and could easily tell that clarity and color were far from what was stated on the tags.

 

[teripg]

Hi everyone,

I DO NOT want to sound like a broken record but again I am SO grateful for everyone's input. I am now certain I will NOT be purchasing my ring on an island I really do appreciate everyone's expert opinion on this matter

I live in Toronto Canada and last week I saw a ring I really like. I have put it on hold at a wholesale jeweller. It is close to 3 ctw. It is a white gold band that has five sections to it. Each section has 4 invisible set princess cut diamonds that are followed by a vertical baguette. So the ring has 20 princess cut diamonds and 4 baguettes. It is called an ivisible setting. Sorry I can't seem to figure out how to post the picture of it. My daughters are busy studying for exams but I will certainly get them to post itfor me when they are done Rubybeth, thanks so much for posting all the pictures. The ring I have on hold is very similar to the first one you posted but it's NOT a channel set. I have since learned that the setting of the ring I have on hold is not so sturdy. I am frustrated because the jeweller did say he could size it for me and when asked about durability of the ring, he indicated it's as good as other settings. Once I posted here, it became clear that in fact it's more fragile than other settings. I then did more research online and found that to be true

So right now I am pretty sure that ring on hold will no longer be mine I know I have to do more research on diamonds and I think I am leaning towards the last picture Rubybeth posted. I would prefer 7 stones (I wear a size 9 ring) and probably a bar setting with princess cut and baguettes. My budget is $5000, so I am not sure how big the stones will be.

Has anyone who lives in Canada purchased an online ring from the US? If yes, were you only required to pay the HST?

Again, thanks so very much for everyone's input. This site is truly invaluable!!!!

Teri

 

[rubybeth]

Teri, you might just want to start a new post with a different title asking your questions about buying from the US as a Canadian. We have a number of regular posters who have done this (Dreamer_D and Enerchi are both in Canada) and it doesn't seem like too much of a hassle, esp. if you work with a vendor who has done it many times before, as I'm sure Brian Gavin, Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, ID Jewelry, and other PS vendors have before. I think you could likely call any of these vendors and tell them what you're looking for, your 'comfortable' budget, and ask about the process buying from/shipping to Canada.

 

[mimi123]

Hi there, I am also in Ontario Canada and when we were looking for my 3-stone 15th anniversary upgrade, I was leery about buying stateside and sourced all 3 diamonds (AGS000) online from Diamond Exchange in Toronto (who were great btw) and also had them make my platinum setting. Hubby and I flew out first to meet and greet before plunking down that much money online. Every year since, I FedEx my ring to them for polishing, tightening and repairs which they do and return all on their own dime. I would highly recommend them.
As to Carribean cruise shopping, last year in Aruba I bought a carat radiant FY diamond in a split halo setting from a diamond boutique recommended by the cruise line. They supposedly only carried non-treated diamonds and at the price I bought it, it was very reasonable. I loved the color (it was the best color of the lot) and being a trust but verify type person, when I returned home I sent my ring off to GIA in New York for confirmation. It came back as being color-treated. So, I emailed the boutique manager with cc to the Cruise line customer relations rep. Long story short, they were very apologetic and credited the sale. They even paid for the GIA report when I requested they do so as it would be useless to me. Even the Cruise rep followed up with me. Maybe I was lucky, I was expecting a battle, but all went smoothly. I do believe that, in this particular case, this ring was the odd one that slipped in, as all of the others in that price range were very very light. I would advise you not spend any significant amount on diamonds on a cruise, you can do so much better here in Canada and/or online.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I have to agree with distracts. The ships have fantastic marketing machines telling you what to shop for and exactly where to shop for it. They assure you the deals are fantastic and that the products are top-notch. But I've been to St. Martin and a number of other Caribbean ports, and I've never seen a deal or quality to beat what I could get online. That's not to say that buying a piece of fun jewelry is a bad idea; it is always nice to have something to remember the trip by. But for major purchases, I will always stick to vendors I know and trust and can get service from after my purchase.

This is perfect advice! Buying a nice FUN jewelry piece to remember your trip. But, for a diamond, if you're looking for a sound purchase, buy from a vendor who sells well-cut stones, has a return policy, and great prices!

 

[distracts]

I bought a beautiful sterling silver Marahlago larimar ring for a souvenir

Heee, that's what I did last time I was on a beachy vacation! Right down to it being a larimar ring by Marahlago. Mine has a marquise set east-west and is sooo pretty. Usually I've found that at touristy places the silver jewelry is the only thing I can find with reasonable prices, so that's usually what I end up with.

 

[Sky56]

Good to hear you found a beautiful Marahlago piece too!