Jewelry shopping in St. Thomas

[Bernbun29]

Where is the best jewelry shopping in St. Thomas? Is it best to rent a car at the port of call and go on your own -- or is their a good cruise excursion for this? What do you recommend?

[Cruise'nKris]

Hi!

I would not recommend renting a car in St Thomas, the driving there seems like it would be difficult, the main shopping district gets very crowded and has a lot of traffic. There will be plenty of taxis to take from the pier right to and from all of the great stores and even some sites.

I was in St. Thomas last year with my family from a cruise ship, and thats what we did, we got off the ship, and then took a taxi to the main shopping district, and then when we were done took a taxi back.

There were several stores we were able to do well in, but the two I can remember are H. Stein and Omni Jewlers. H. Stein is nice, since they have a NYC store, so any problems with a purchase, they would be able to take care of.

[beachbm213]

Most of the true "deals" are long gone in the Caribbean but you can still make some very good purchases IF you do your homework before you go. Educate yourself about whatever you are shopping for. If you do that before you go, you most likely will find a good deal. IF not???? Most likely you will get ripped!!!!!

I've seen both sides-Love to cruise and shop plus work in the jewelry business.

[drpack]

You can combine your shopping with a tour like we did. We used Godfrey and it was only $20 person. Now it's $25, but for that you get to shop (1 to 3 hours), a tour of the island and several hours at one of several beaches. He didn't even collect the money until we returned to the ship. You can read all about his tours and other similar ones at: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

[drakes2]

How do you know if you are getting a true deal? Should you be doing some comparison shopping at home before you cruise? I bought an omega chain, earrings and a necklace in St. Thomas last year at what I thought was a good price but now I'm not so sure it was a deal.

Most of the true "deals" are long gone in the Caribbean but you can still make some very good purchases IF you do your homework before you go. Educate yourself about whatever you are shopping for. If you do that before you go, you most likely will find a good deal. IF not???? Most likely you will get ripped!!!!!

I've seen both sides-Love to cruise and shop plus work in the jewelry business.

[luvrotties]

I LOVE Cardow's jewelry store in St. Thomas I bought many pieces of tanzanite there on former cruises and always had them appraised at home and I always got a great deal !!!

[Tina G]

Main street is full of tiny jewelry stores, all owned by people from the mainland who are only there for the cruise traffic. Don't buy anything costing more than three figures. Why risk big money so far from home? Omegas and gold charms, bracelets, earrings are good, but have them weigh them for you before you settle on a final price. You should pay no more per oz. than you would from your jeweler at home! Ask him about HIS price per oz. (Now, I mean a REAL jeweler, not a department/discount store.) A few years ago I haggled down to $13 oz. for 14K, and I was pleased. Variety is facinating. Anyone who tells you they have wholesale prices is LYING!! I would not buy diamonds there - quality is poor - cheap prices for the tourist trade, who don't know the difference and can't come back to complain. Good luck! Beware Diamonds International!

[Tina G]

Boy, I feel stupid! When I was posting about weighing gold, I meant grams, not oz.!!!! That's what I get for cruising these boards so late at night! Sorry!:o

[TJM001]

My wife was pleased with what she got from a small shop called Elegant Jewelery Shop on Raadets Gade, a side street off the main drag. A little hard to find but you might find it worth the effort.

 

http://elegantjewelryshop.com/

[margord]

Look at it as the Caribbean has the best selection in just a few blocks. If you like it and think the price is fair, buy it and enjoy it. You might not find it anywhere else. It may be chearper at home but can you find that exact piece. Keep this in mind.

 

Also, I bought a bracelet for my daughter on a January cruise at Cardow's. It was sapphire and diamonds for around $300. I gave it to her the following year for Christmas. She wore it a few times and lost one of the diamond chips. I took it to my local jewelry store and they did not want to deal with having the diamond replaced. I called Cardow and told them what happened. They asked if I had my receipt and I did they said to mail it back. I did and they sent me either a new one or fixed the old one and I got it back in about 2 weeks. No charge. They guarantee their jewelry for 1 year and I was a few weeks less than a year. I was so pleased that they took care of the problem that I shop there often when in St. Thomas.

 

Marilee

[NJEWERS]

I second Cardow's!! Have only purchased in this store. There is a shop by the pier and a much larger one in town.

[lyntony]

I have been to St. Thomas more times than I can remember, and I always go to Santu at Omni Jewellers to buy diamonds (up-grade at least once each year).

 

As soon as I get home, I have the jewellery appraised, and, without fail, each piece has been appraised at almost 4 times what I paid for it. We will be on 5 cruises this winter, each one taking us to St. Thomas.

 

We just got off the CB (were there for 3 weeks). We visited him each week, and he bends over backwards to serve you. His store used to be at Havensight, and you can imagine how disappointed we were to find that Princess now docks at Crown Bay. When we walked off the ship, there were 2 new stores in front of us - one of them Omni Jewellers, and inside we found Santu.

 

If you go there, tell him that Gail and Tony Della Torre sent you. I can't imagine that you would be anything less than delighted with your purchases.

 

Lyntony

[oceanal]

I had a very nice experience at Ballerina jewelers upgrading my diamond a couple of years ago. It has appraised for way more then I paid and I was given a special certificate with it and a card with all the facts and a photo of my diamond. It seemed like most of the jewelers had prices similar to the los Angeles jewelry mart which is the best place to get good deals here in So. Cal

 

A:D

[Host Mama]

Another place you might want to check out is Dynasty/Dazzlers. They have a store at Havensight, and a new store downtowm. They are not a chain type jewelry store, and are only in St. thomas. We always feel like their prices are fair, and there is a good variety. I have never bought diamonds in the Caribbean, but have come home with some unusual gold peices for myself and our daughters. Every time I wear one of the items, Im back in St. Thomas.:-) The owner's name is Raj, and asking for him will probably get you the best deals on your purchases.

Ann (aka Host Mama)

[Tasha999]

I'm so happy I can answer a shoppng question about St. Thomas. I've been there seven times on a cruise. Whatever you do, go to a recommended store. if something goes wrong, even if you are home, the ship will help you to resolve, at least I know RCCL will and did for us. Ours was a diamond about a half carat that fell out of a ring my husband bought for himself. I like Omni Jeweler's. There are several. One in the mall when you get off the ship, I think it's called Havensport Mall. There are two in town, and one in St. Maartin. They are great people, a nice inventory, and they will bargain with you. The more you buy, the better the price. You can do better if you give them cash at least for some of the payment. There's always Diamonds International.They are an international chain. ( Bought a watch there on the 1/13-1/20/07 cruise on the Grand Princess in Cozumel). I also made some purchases at a place called Little Europe. If you collect Lladro, there is a store called AH rise, great selection, also several locations. Happy Shopping!!!

 

Tasha

[Jan_In_Maine]

My dh bought me a new diamond wedding ring and a diamond tennis bracelet in St Thomas from Imperial Jewelers. I really enjoyed dealing with them - they told us what the appraisal would come in at at least (and it did) that the jewelry could be traded up any time. They sized the ring while we toured the island.

 

My tennis bracelet's clasp broke and I had to send it bak to them - they repaired it and sent it back in a timely manner.

 

Next time we are there I will visit them again (I didn't like Diamond International at all)

 

You will find many people on the street giving away drink cards to go visit a certain store ... many, many people walking the steets with drinks in their hands. Jan

 

We did a tour with Sunny Liston and had plenty of time shopping.

[Tasha999]

Boy, I feel stupid! When I was posting about weighing gold, I meant grams, not oz.!!!! That's what I get for cruising these boards so late at night! Sorry!:o

 

Don't preoccupy yourself with the price per gram. It's good to know what it is, I believe one ounce of gold is 28 grams, that would be a very heavy and oversized bracelet. There is more that goes into jewelry than that. Do you have a secure clasp so you don't lose the piece? it is important to check that. Some jewelry is more dificult to make than others, and if they try to sell based on a low gram price, the workmanship could be poor, and it could be mass produced.

 

Tasha