Island Diamonds?

February 16, 2008 5:03 AM

Hello: My wife and I are going on a 12 day cruise in March in The Southern Caribbean. We will be visiting St. Martin, St. Thomas, Antiqua,Barbados, St. Kitts and Puerto Rico. She has expressed an interest in acquiring a canary diamond of 1/2 to 1 carat in size. Can anyone tell me where to shop and what I can expect to pay for such a purchase. Thank You.
posted by malhaley to shopping (7 comments total)

We used Diamonds International at St Thomas (it's just by the port). It's probably not the cheapest but they won't sell you a fake, you can bargain and you can use credit cards. You don't say if you are in the US but, if you are, St Thomas is, of course, in the US so you don't have to pay US duty when returning home.
posted by TheRaven at 5:18 AM on February 16, 2008

You can expect to pay the same price for a diamond in the Caribbean that you would pay in any North American metro area. The days of finding jewelry down there at lower prices than you would pay at home are long gone.

So as far as price goes, you can do your homework here first regarding clarity, shape, size, and resulting cost. It will apply in the Caribbean.

Hopefully someone else can comment on a reputable place for you to shop.
posted by poppo at 5:22 AM on February 16, 2008

I would recommend checking out prices at an online diamond seller like Blue Nile. That should give you a solid starting point for comparison shopping and bargaining.
posted by jedicus at 7:42 AM on February 16, 2008

Front Street in Philipsburg, in Sint Maarten, is the stretch with all the jewelry stores. The cruises dock there. My mom would recommend Little Switzerland. She and my stepfather have been going there for at least 20 years, for at least 2 weeks per year, and that's the store she swears by.
posted by Stewriffic at 10:26 AM on February 16, 2008

Most cruise ships have jewelry "experts" on board. They hold all kinds of seminars on different sorts of baubles available on the various isles. I say this not to recommend them but to caution that these people are given kickbacks by the shops they promote. They're interested in your belief that you'll get a good deal, but not in the reality.

The owner of a small hotel on one of the islands you mentioned told me that the shops change their prices based on how many ships are in port on a given day. Two or three ships bring lower prices as the shops compete for the relatively small number of tourists. If there are five or six ships they'll bump prices and they'll still be crowded with people who are not comparison shopping due to the hassle involved in crossing the clogged streets. Whether they change the sticker price or simply refuse to bargain on busy days is pretty much irrelevant because the end result is the same. It might be worth your time to look at docking schedules at the various ports to see if you will be visiting an island on a slow day...
posted by the christopher hundreds at 12:02 PM on February 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Great question...I buy all of my diamonds at Bedazzled in St. Thomas. I've bought thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from them and I am extremely pleased with my pruchases. The owner gives me super prices, and when I get home they always appraise for more than his documentation.

For example, I got a 3 ct. diamond ring, all the stones were nearly perfect, and according to other jewelers, they say my pieces were well worth the money I paid and more.

As you get off the cruise ship, go about one market block, make a right and Bedazzled is on the left hand side.

Also, each trip back there he cleans the pieces for free and sends me a holiday card.

Have fun!!!!
posted by ~Sushma~ at 3:48 PM on February 16, 2008

oops...should have previewed "*purchases".......
posted by ~Sushma~ at 3:49 PM on February 16, 2008