Attn: Ladies

[CRUZCOOL]

A friend of mine said that she got some really good deals on purses in St Thomas. She mentioned Fendi, Gucci, and Coach. Are those stores near port and if so, do they have good deals? I hear that St Thomas is the place to buy jewelry as well. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Hmmmm, you save tax on authentic designer handbags. If you're a savvy shopper you can get decent discounts on jewelry. But when you're buying a $2k bracelet, what do you think you're saving, they have to make money too? The $2k bracelet will initally be priced at around $7 or $8k, so if you beleive the higher price is an accurate price in the states (it is definitely a very inflated tag and not a comparative price) then you think you're getting a bargain. We saved tax on Pandora charms, I think there is a shop in SxT that offers buy 2 get a discount on the third, again these arent deep discounts to me.

 

If your friend was talking about fake bags, I havent seen knock off bags on any islands, but then again I wouldnt use one.

[Jax129]

I've never been there but my sister got her engagement ring in St. Thomas (while cruising on the Mariner) and when they got home took it to a jeweler who said they got a good deal.

[ChipLondon]

Oh my wife is an expert on this, the key is to know your product, and the original price, otherwise you could easily believe that you are getting a bargain when you are not. Be sure to only buy from approved suppliers, unless of course you want a copy bag, in which case you will find many.:D

 

A friend of mine said that she got some really good deals on purses in St Thomas. She mentioned Fendi, Gucci, and Coach. Are those stores near port and if so, do they have good deals? I hear that St Thomas is the place to buy jewelry as well. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks

[Bound4Bermuda]

Absolutely jewelry! Honestly it seems like there's nothing but jewelry stores in St Thomas! But that may just be because our port there we specifically went looking for an engagement ring, so we went to countless jewelers--and nothing else, lol! We actually ended up getting the engagement ring, both wedding rings, and a necklace since the deals were SO good! The engagement ring we got appraised for double what we paid for it. Another trick is that if you're getting a diamond, bring it home unset, and customs counts it as a "rock," and you don't pay duty tax on it. All the shops we went to were within walking distance. I can't recall if it was just a "jewelry district" or if they had designers in the area, too.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Oh my wife is an expert on this, the key is to know your product, and the original price, otherwise you could easily believe that you are getting a bargain when you are not. Be sure to only buy from approved suppliers, unless of course you want a copy bag, in which case you will find many.:D

As for names like Louis Vuitton and Gucci there are NO such thing as an 'approved supplier". If you dont buy it at the store, it is most likely NOT authentic. They are also never discounted!!

[LABCHICK]

The last time we were in St. Thomas, my DH bought me a watch. It was at one of the jewelry stores at Havensight. When we got home and checked the price here it was double then what he paid in St. Thomas. We will be going back in Nov., so loooking to buy something for our daughters for christmas.

 

Judi :)

[CRUZCOOL]

Thanks for all the responses. I am not sure if my DH will be buying me an anniversary gift but its good to know where just in case.

[andrzej5914]

Personally I could never find a better deal in the Caribbean than I can at local stores or on the internet.

 

Stopped buying stuff in the Caribbean for a simple reason, it's not such a great deal.

[Bound4Bermuda]

Another tip: Do NOT fall for the cruise line's push of Diamonds International. Granted, I don't know if RCI has the same type of "relationship" with DI that there was with my Princess cruise. But on Princess they had a jewelry buying talk that totally pushed DI; I found out after the fact that it was put on by DI! They might give you a DI coupon or a certificate for a "free diamond charm" (which is a piece of junk). Anway, we fell for the scam and ended up buying the necklace from Diamonds International. I mean, it was a nice necklace, but it was US prices. Your real savings will be at the smaller jewelers.

[ashtyn]

The purses that you get in ST Thomas are all knock offs. They can be cheap 40.00 but check for quality. I bought a couple for my teenage daughter and they held up well. Instead of leather they use the fake stuff. They don't hold up as well as the real thing but for a fraction of the cost, you get what you pay for.

 

I am lucky enough to have a Coach outlet in my area and always find deals there.:D

[DebJ14]

The flea market in St. Thomas has all sorts of knock offs, but I would be wary. On a September 2009 cruise on the Carnival Glory lots of people bought fake Vuitton, Gucci etc. including large tote bags at the straw market in Nassau. The lady in front of me at Customs used one of the knock off duffle bags to carry off her purchases from the ship. The customs official seized the bag saying that it was illegal to bring designer knock offs into the country. I saw several others in the customs area also lose their "fabulous fakes." Here in Houston ICE is always raiding the local area where all of the discount stores are and the main thing they seize are the designer knock offs. Better make sure of the bag's provenance as even places like Sam's have been accused of selling fakes.

[Davidoff22]

I hate to rain on the parade, but it might save someone a real headache down the road..

 

ALL, and I stress ALL jewlery stores near major cruise ship ports are selling inferior products at inflated prices, these type of stores are IMO below your average shopping mall brick and mortar stores here in the states I.E. Zales, Kay, Helzberg ex. and no where near high end. I've seen all kinds of gimmicks that ill informed tourists end up falling for at these shops, like clarity enhanced and fracture filled diamonds with a certificate from a non existent lab or an "in house lab".

 

A quality certified graded diamond with papers from GIA, AGS even EGL (if you're looking for some major wiggle room in negotiations) will be roughly the same price any where in the world. IMO any stone certified by anything other than the three major labs should be considered an ungraded stone and therefore open for major speculation, but quality stones ARE ALWAYS certified by the major labs.

 

Diamonds sell and trade close to a price set by Rapaport all over the world. This means the same diamond will command roughly the same price in New York, Israel or Dubai. People seem to think that because they're in a less economically powerful country they will get a better deal than at home, it's just simply not true.. People are kidding themselves if they think they are getting a deal shopping for fine diamond jewelry near cruise ports, maybe it happens, but I've never seen it..

 

A note on diamond appraisals.. Jewelry stores, adding a rider policy to your insurance or a basic gemologist will all give you widely different numbers on a non certified diamond. If a person ever wants to know the true near market value of a stone, the person to ask is an independent appraiser. An independent appraiser is someone with gemological credentials and credentials in appraising. This type of person get's paid the same amount no matter the outcome of the final appraisal and isn't loyal to any party..

 

Please understand your money will go further once you are an educated buyer and I encourage anyone looking for a "good deal" to learn as much as possible before just being told you are getting an amazing deal.

 

Please note that I only have experience in diamonds and some Swiss made automatic watches.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

A very dear friend of mine sells high end watches for Romain Jerome. In St Thomas, I shop in a small family owned jewlery shop because I was recommended to them. Im confident in my purchases as well.

 

I also do not shop in DI or the other "recommended by cl' stores.

[mitsugirly]

This is just my experience, but we were looking specifically for black diamond mens rings and found that the island had outrageous prices and actually found a better deal on the ship during their sale.