Tanzanite question - Need help from fellow jewelry lovers!

[Sunny Lady]

I have been wanting some tanzanite jewelry for a few years. I will be in St. Thomas this summer. In the past I heard that you get some good buys on Tanzanite in the Caribbean. However I have seen a few posts contrary to that belief... so I am confused. Will I do better buying in St. Thomas or just buying at a jewelry store where I live? If anyone can comment on this matter I would be most appreciative as I don't want to get ripped off!

[Laurab23]

I bought my tanzanite in Jamaica a few years ago,but as much as I love it I feel I would have been better off going to a local jewelry store or someplace like QVC or HSN. I felt after I got back from the cruise,that the quality was not as good as it should have been.

Laura

[Snorkelcat]

I had been drooling over the Tanzanite with Australian Opal for a long time. I looked at every port for 2 yrs. This Feb I spotted one in the ships jewelry shop. Watched it all week. Figured if it was still there on Valentines Day, it should be mine. It was, & 40% off & it now resides on my finger! I was going to pay full price, burt sure liked the 40% off even better. It was on Royal Caribbean Radiance. It was a very good price & even turned out to be 18k gold not 14k.

Moral of the story....what they had on the ship was more attractive to me than alot of what I saw in the stores. (with the exception of the $2000 ones with diamonds in them too!) Be sure & check the ship before you buy. Do some looking online before you too. check ebay for some, but the quality is not that great. Gives you an idea of the range out there.

Good luck & hope you find the 'right' one!

 

Snorkelcat

Zuiderdam 2/03

Radiance 2/04

[vijoge]

I have two Tanzanite rings and a pair of earrings. One ring and the earrings were purchased in St. Thomas. the other ring I bought in Nassua. None of these items were inexpensive BUT the quality is so much better than anything I've seen at home. Sint Martten also had some beautiful Tanzanite-guess I need to plan another cruise!

 

RCI Majesty of the Seas 06/05/2000

RCI Enchantment of the Seas 12/09/2001

Carnival Conquest 12/01/2002

Norwegian Dawn 11/30/2003

Norwegian Star to Alaska 6/26/05

 

Life is too short to be unhappy!

 

 

 

 

[Boo's Mom]

Sunny Lady .... The Tanzanite on the islands is so much darker (that means better!!!) than what you may find @ home...!

 

Know that the prices are inflated...do not pay what they are initially asking. In fact, go in there very disinterested...and just begin to get interested. Be prepared to walk out...

 

a story: I had a jewelry store in Cozumel send a runner about 5 blocks away to bring in a bracelet that I saw earlier in another store... This particular salesman was interested in working with the price a lot more than the salesman in the first store.

 

Just keep the ball in your court. You will do well.

 

BTW, they even sell Tanzanite in Alaska!

 

I love my tanzanite ring...wear it almost every day. I also have a bracelet and earrings.

 

Your ship will sell it, also.

 

Boo's Mom

 

Even the winds and the waves obey him!

Matthew 8:27

 

 

[randolph]

You may even find a better deal in

a loose stone and find the setting

back home that you like. You don't

want lavender looking stones, the

deep purple/blue is what you're

looking for. The larger the stone,

the rarer a deep purple/blue color

is to find. There is a stone out

there with your name on it...now

go find it!

 

 

 

[cruzlover56]

I purchased a Tanzanite ring on Holland America's Maasdam. It is a much deeper colour than anything I have seen back home. I had it appraised when I got home and it is worth 50% more than I paid for it.

 

Julie

 

Zuiderdam 07/04

Maasdam 08/02

[jlane]

My husband purchased a tanzanite stone in Cozumel for me as wedding gift. It was our first cruise and we were unaware of the absolute need to negotiate price (dumb Americans I guess). We eventually did end up negotiating $200 extra dollars off of a great stone; however, upon return to the states had it appraised at $200 less than we paid.

 

One other note, we had the stone set into a ring. Our jeweler back home stated that tanzanite is a soft stone and should be set either in a necklace or a ring setting that protects the edges of the stone.

[Boo's Mom]

Sunny Lady..... I have purchased several Tanzanite jewelry items in ports while on cruises.

 

It is true that the quality that is sold in the Caribbean is often superior to what can be found in the states. I am amazed when I see it in stores....it is so pale...almost clear. Every ship I have been on has also sold Tanzanite in it's jewelry store. ... even then, it is not the dark, rich color found in the ports.

 

But...... you must know that the prices will be over inflated in the port shops...even the best jewelry stores. This is just how they operate. It's a bit like buying a car. You have to play the game.

 

Be prepared to walk out of any given store when they don't cooperate with your negotiation attempt. and.... don't appear too anxious to purchase a Tanzanite. They will see this...and it will not benefit you.

 

Remember, duty free does not mean duty exempt!!

 

Good luck!

[Tracy1]

Tanzanite is a beautiful stone. I suggest that you shop around before you go to the Caribbean so that you know the price ranges and will be able to spot a good deal. Yes, the darker the color the better the quality. Yes, it is a soft stone so you do need to get a setting that protects the edges. I bought a really beautiful ring with Tanzanite, opal, and small diamonds in St. Martin. What I didn't know then that I know now is that Tanzanite and Opals are both soft stones that don't hold up to wear. I expected to wear this ring everyday and it just couldn't hold up to the everyday abuse that I put it through. One Opal cracked and fell out and the other is cracked and on it's way out. I also wasn't good about saving my receipts so that I could contact the store to see if they would repair the ring. Luckily I didn't spend too much money but knowing what I know now, what I should have done is either only wear the ring for special occassions where I can be careful with it or buy a pendant or earrings instead which get much less abuse. That's what I'm planning to do on our next cruise.

[*christina*]

We shopped for a tanzanite ring in both St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We found the prices to be quite a bit better in St. Maarten and are glad that we waited to buy there. We ended up buying a loose stone and picked a setting and had my ring made while we were in port. As others have said, look for a dark color in your stone. I've never seen tanzanite at home as deep in color as what you'll find in the Caribbean.

 

You do have to be careful with tanzanite. I only wear my ring when I go out somewhere nice. I love wearing rings and wear my diamonds everyday, but you just can't with tanzanite. I read that even reaching into a hot oven with a tanzanite ring on could cause your stone to crack. It doesn't hold up to temperature changes as well being a softer stone that could crack easiy if were to be accidentally hit against something, so it's not a stone for everyday wear. But, it is a beautiful stone and I love that I had mine made while on a cruise vacation. It's a wonderful "souvenier" of our trip.

[CaribbeanBlue]

Tanzanite comes in a variety of sizes and qualities in the islands. What you will want to look for is the deep blue tanzanite, almost into the purple tones. The good tanzanite has almost a "velvety" quality to it. The tanzanite that you will see on ebay and on the home shopping channels is washed out violet and comes with a low price. The setting is also very important. Look for 14 kt or 18 kt Gold, or platinum. The setting should feel substantial when you hold it. The good quality tanzanite can command a high price.

 

Do your research before your trip, be sure to visit some of the smaller family owned shops in the islands, and learn to haggle a deal.

[cruisemate]

I would definitely advise you to look in the stores on the ship, dont forget you have a few days to browse and try things on and the staff are very helpful, unlike when you are in port and you have only a few hours to make a decision. One advantage of the ships stores is that they are a US company, have a toll free customer care number and they also give you a full 1 year guarantee with your jewelry purchase, which even covers buyers remorse. Dont be fooled by a lot of these Port and Shopping talks, of where you "must" go to shop, its all run on a commission basis and once you get home, you really have no backup from the cruiseline.I have made many purchases in the ships stores and have been really happy with them all.

[Spicey477]

I am going on my first cruise VERY soon (CP 8/14!!), but my cousins have been on the Disney Cruise Line a couple of times and have fallen in love with Tanzanite. After their trip, my aunt bought a ring from a department store that was on super sale, and it was very nice. I was still thinking it had to be expensive...

 

The point of this post is that Ross Simons, http://www.ross-simons.com, has (1.) an amazing jewelry collection that is very well priced, and (2.) has some beautiful (and different) tanzanite pieces. Just my 2 cents!

 

-Spicey

[Coolmama_1]

Tanzanite is very popular with the cruiselines. They will tell you that the mines will be closing in 3 yrs and that it is appreciating in value 21% a year. That is only partially true. Some mines will be closing but others will be re opening. With that said, there is a lot of pressure to buy. Choose wisely and enjoy!

[newcomel]

We will be visiting St. Maarten and St. Thomas in September. I would love to buy a piece or loose tanzenite stone.

 

Any suggestions on where to purchase and who to ask for?

 

Has anyone purchased a loose stone to later have it set or have it set while the ship was in port?

 

Thanks!

Lyn

[SNOWEY]

Lynn:

 

I just came back from Alaska and bought a loose tanzanite in Skagway-Diamonds International. After I got home, I read some neg. posts re this Co. but so far I am very pleased. I have an engagement ring with baguettes and 2 band with the same. The stone in the engagement was a dark almost black marquis sapphire. I only saw one but did not check every store (obviously). Anyway, it was 2.23 cts. and they set it in Katchican for free. I did bargain for the stone and if you email me, I will tell you what the cost was. I don't know if this was a bargain or not, however, I am very pleased. It is a very dark blue w/hint of purple. It sparkles like crazy (because of the baguettes). BTW--DI is an approved Cruise Ship Company to shop with (if that is worth anything I don't know).

[CaribbeanBlue]

The majority of stores carry a large selection of loose Tanzanite. Sometimes they will not have them all displayed in the cases. If you don't see what you like initially ask your salesperson if they carry any more. They usually will go back to the vaults and bring out more trays of loose stones.

 

If you find a setting that you like however the stone doesn't quite meet your needs they usually can have a loose one (if it matches the carat weight) placed in the ring. There are so many options to find what is right for you.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

[LisaB19]

What is the hot watch this year??? Last year it was the Philip Stein, the year before it was the Michele Michele ones.

Anyone know??

Lisa

[CaribbeanBlue]

Hot watches...... For those looking for a fun watch that is easy to wear check out GemCasa which is located really close to the hard Rock Cafe. They have a nice line of fun watches there in all colors for $29.00. If you don't find the color you like, just ask. They probably have one behind the counter in the color you need.

 

For those looking for the upper line of watches (serious collectors) there is the Luminor Marina Tantalium, produced in 2003 in a limited edition of 300. Its the first Panerai watch produced from this high tech , corrosion resistant metal. This is carried by Royal Caribbean downtown.

 

The movado is also popular again this year. Little Switzerland

carries a full line of Movado. I've got a Movado that I've worn for years. Still looks nice and tells time perfectly.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

[Boatlovers]

Hi,

 

I have a tanzanite ring that I bought at www.tanzanite.com

I have worn it everyday for 2 years with no problems at all.

It's dark. The lady on the phone was very helpful and shipped it fast, so it arrived on Valentine's day.

This is just my experience. I've read the posts from others who say don't get it in a ring.

I love it. It's beautiful.

I bought a tanzanite toe ring at www.nordstrom.com and it was very light and bad quality. I sent it back.

I plan on buying tanzanite earrings at St. Thomas or St. Martin this February.

It's one of the main reasons I wanted to go to the Caribbean.

I'm sure there will be alot to choose from.

Since we will be at sea for two days, it's going to be hard not buying something on board the ship. I'm going to try to be patient.

Kristal