best place to buy a tanzanite ring?

[calico79]

My fiance and I are going on a honeymoon cruise in October and our stops are Half Moon Cay, San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. I would love to get a tanzanite ring and I was going to see if there was any place that would be good to find one while on this cruise itinerary. I am guessing it would have to be either San Juan or St. Thomas. Anyone know of a good place and about how much I should expect to pay for a tanzanite ring?

[firefly333]

You can find one for 1/4 the price on bidz.com and if you need it also get a written guarantee.

 

I learned my lesson the hard way, those jewelry shops cost more than buying it here in the US.

 

PS St. thomas does have lovely jewelry shops.. Id go there if someone else is paying. Go to the downtown area. Several very reputable stores, some will even give you drinks to get you in the mood to buy.

 

Mine is well over a carat, plus little stones and 7 diamonds under the little stones to give even more sparkle and I paid about $350 online.

 

the ones you will be looking at .. a small nice quality stone probably will be $800, though Iv seen nice ones for $500 Id take .. but I didnt want a small stone. 1.5 carat and up to me is the least Id want. I do love mine, though the color isnt dark enough to be good quality. the darker the better pretty much.

[dodger501]

St. Thomas is wall-to-wall jewelry stores.

Not a tanzanite expert but we bought a stone in Ocho Rios last January. It is for a necklace, came with gold trim. It's about the diameter of a shirt button (3/8 inch?) with gold trim. I do not know the karat weight, will have to look it up but the darker the color, the more expensive. This one is a very dark blue. This item cost us $800. We got certificate of authenticity and a signed appraisal form.

[CatlinSTJ]

I LOVE tanzanite! I would highly recommend researching the stones before you go and knowing the prices and quality beforehand. Don't trust people on the ship or in a shop to educate you.

 

I know that it's a big deal to shop for tanzanite on Grand Cayman, but I don't know about your ports.

[spyder209]

St. Thomas for sure. Check out the Diamonds International or Tanzanite International. Those stores usually have a good selection and were cruise ship approved the last time I was there. Make sure that you ask them if the tanzanite is radiated. If it is then it will lose its color after you get home. I bought a beautiful tanzanite ring at the Diamonds International in St. Maarten last year and it still has that deep color that it did the day I bought it. You can also bargin a good bit on the price! Good luck.

[firefly333]

St. Thomas for sure. Check out the Diamonds International or Tanzanite International. Those stores usually have a good selection and were cruise ship approved the last time I was there. Make sure that you ask them if the tanzanite is radiated. If it is then it will lose its color after you get home. I bought a beautiful tanzanite ring at the Diamonds International in St. Maarten last year and it still has that deep color that it did the day I bought it. You can also bargin a good bit on the price! Good luck.

 

Im just the opposite and would find a good quality jewelry store that is NOT approved .. because any store Carnival is pushing is giving Carnival kickbacks, so you know already the price is super inflated.

[tef43]

cruise ship approved

"Cruise ship approved" is secret code for "pays kickback to the cruise line." Stay away, far away, as Firefly recommends.

[cb at sea]

GC is VERY, VERY expensive....St. Thomas is your best bet.

[BenjiRodney]

Check around before you buy, In San Juan last year I left one store walked up the street to another one, told them what I was quoted and they beat it by $225 this was on diamonds.

[spyder209]

"Cruise ship approved" is secret code for "pays kickback to the cruise line." Stay away, far away, as Firefly recommends.

 

I like to buy from these stores in case there is a problem when I get home it is easier to deal with from a cruise approved store. Also, I know that the prices are generally inflated which is why I only buy when I can get them down to a reasonable price that is comparable to those I have already seen in other stores. They will usually price match anything you find in other stores and you still have some what of a protection from them being a cruise approved store. I guess it is just what you prefer to do, it just makes me feel more comfortable.

[Jfultz81]

Honestly, in the US... learned the hard way that if you have something wrong, its so much easier to be able to go to the physical store than to ship overseas or someplace where you have no guarantee that you'll get your stuff back.

[Pollyo]

I suggest Tanzinite International or DIamonds International. I dont think going off to another store. My friend was on a cruise and she went to a store that was not was not cruise ship approved. They sold her a tanzinite ring. Went to another store wearing it and showing it off, the jewler politely told her that she was taken and explained how he could tell it was a fake. She ran back to the store and got her money back after discussion.

 

I bought mine in Grand Cayman. I paid 900.00 for the ring with diamond bagets, I was given papers. I dont remember the size.

 

Last summer I searched for earings and price them at St Thomas, and St Martin and they were the same price on both islands. I suggest price checking and acting as if you are not going to buy. Leave the store and they will bring hte price down. If it is a good enough price go back and get it. Check how many ships are in port for the day and check what is coming in the next day and what just left the day before. At the end of the day sometimes they are ready to make a deal.

[ellen9974]

try QVC...I have bought a lot from them and have been very pleased

remember the darker stones are the rare and better stones. I also agree to not buy on the islands you will pay more ;)

[MsTabbyKats]

If you're looking for a really good stone...go to a store in your home town.

 

If you're looking for a memento of your trip...have a budget in mind...and find a ring you love. Don't worry about the quality, if it falls apart etc.....

 

The recommended stores of the ship charge about twice the other stores....and all the stores overcharge.

 

I'm an amateur jeweler (jewelry lover) and I would never buy a piece while on a cruise thinking it's a value...because it never would be. However, we go to Effy Jewelry whenever we are in a port with one of his stores and I always get a piece of (overpriced) jewelry because I love his stuff and they have a customer service in NYC (where I live...but I've never needed to use it).

[truchattycathy]

If you're looking for a really good stone...go to a store in your home town.

 

If you're looking for a memento of your trip...have a budget in mind...and find a ring you love. Don't worry about the quality, if it falls apart etc.....

 

The recommended stores of the ship charge about twice the other stores....and all the stores overcharge.

 

I'm an amateur jeweler (jewelry lover) and I would never buy a piece while on a cruise thinking it's a value...because it never would be. However, we go to Effy Jewelry whenever we are in a port with one of his stores and I always get a piece of (overpriced) jewelry because I love his stuff and they have a customer service in NYC (where I live...but I've never needed to use it).

 

Excellent advice!!!!

[happy cruzin]

There is a great little jewelry store on Drake Passage in St. Thomas - Ajanta Jewelers. I would highly recommend at least talking with them.

They do provide you with a written evaluation and description (grade of stones, caratand gold weight etc) of whatever you purchase. Everything we have purchased - including Tanzinite - has been at least what is declared on the paperwork when we have had it evaluate by our jeweler at home. ;)

They do negotiate - go prepared. You do need to know what the stones your looking for are worth and where your limits are :cool:.

[CanWeGoYet?]

I don't think I'd want to buy an expensive piece of jewelry on a port stop. Too hard to follow up on problems if it turns out the stone was misrepresented.

 

Unless you are a jewelry or gemologist I think it would be hard to know if you are paying too much. At least make sure the stone is independently certified by a lab like HKD.

[jere1mt]

A while back while in St. Thomas we went to Tanzinite International to buy a set of ear rings for my wife. We had a limited budget and advised them that we plan to cruise each year and would like to upgrade them probably each year. We were told that as long as we had the item and the original paperwork that we could upgrade them at any time being given at least the price we paid to start with.

The next year we returned to the same store with earrings and papers in hand wanting to upgrade but were told that upgrade promise only applied to there diamonds not tanzinite.

So much being able to beleive them just because they are a recommended store.

[lillian marie]

I'd buy in the US at one of the major discount jewerlers or in a jewerly district in a major city, every major city should have a jewerly district, Chicago and New York have them. You have much more security in knowing that what you get is what it should be and recourse if you have problems with your purchase. Gold prices are high now so the bargains are not as readily available. If you must buy on the cruise I'd look at the Diamond International chain-Tanzanite Intern. at least you some form of guantee.

[zqvol]

Before buying from the big stores check into the ownership issues. DI, TI etc., you might be surprised at who really owns them. If you want to buy on the islands find a local store and deal with them, but if you want good jewelery, buy at home.

[Geezers]

I see you will be on the Valor. Go to the shopping desk (deck 5 across from the casino) and speak to Geoffrey Fullerton. He can educate you on what to look for in a stone whether you buy on an island or in the states. You don't have to shop at the stores he suggests but he has a lot of knowledge to share. He has shopping talks before each port if you can't catch him at his desk.

[ninneman]

Tanzania :)

[ninneman]

Tanzania :)

 

Seriously! Make sure you know the difference between a Tanzanite and Iolite.

They look identical but Ilolites, even though more durable are not as rare and less expensive.

[BKJK]

Go to the shopping talk on the cruise ship, they will give you coupons for diamonds international, I actually found a better deal in st. marrtin, then st. thomas, the manager at DI came down alot...I heard other people who have not used a recommend store ended up finding out when they got back in the states there ring was not worth what they paid, mine was worth twice what I paid...

[spyder209]

Go to the shopping talk on the cruise ship, they will give you coupons for diamonds international, I actually found a better deal in st. marrtin, then st. thomas, the manager at DI came down alot...I heard other people who have not used a recommend store ended up finding out when they got back in the states there ring was not worth what they paid, mine was worth twice what I paid...

 

I agree with you, I also bought a tanzanite ring at DI in St. Maarten at about half of what they were originally asking. It came with a certificate of authenticity. I took it to my local jeweler to have it appraised and he was very impressed with it. He said it is hard to get stones with that deep of a color in the US and he estimated it to be worth a little more than double what I paid!