St. Maarten shopping

[WillyDiamond]

Just returned from a vacation to St. Maarten.
I have been to many Caribbean Islands in the past but I must say that the shopping district on Front Street is the longest jewelry/diamond district I have seen. They have all the luxo watch brands from Rolex to Patek and tons of diamond stores. I went into a few and by PS standards we would all walk out. Each day we were there, at least 5 large cruise ships were in port, that translates to over 15,000 new people each day during the holidays.
However, I did go into 2 diamond stores that had Hearts on Fire diamonds. They were really beautiful. I held a 3 carat round I/VS1 in my hand and I really needed sunglasses to view this little baby. It was the most sparkly diamond I have ever held, the asking price tag was over $100K, wow! But it was fun to really examine it.

 

[Madison2]

Hey willydiamond,
Did you have good weather in St. Martin?
My sister has a condo in St, Martin and we go every summer.
The only Jeweler I go to is Oro Diamante and I deal with the owner Raju.
He is wonderful to deal with and always very accomodating.
Love all the great restaurants there too!
I cant wait for July to come, its frezing in NY now.

 

[WillyDiamond]

We had great weather, low of 77 and high of about 83 every day, beats the cold weather in the NY area.
I did see Oro-Diamente, they do a lot of advertising. In fact if I am not mistaken they had a store in the hotel we stayed at, The Sonesta on the Dutch side of the island.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I love St Maarten.
Shopping, reasonable hotels, and Casinos on the Dutch Side, killer French food on the French side.
For about 10 years before I opened DBL my career was primarily selling in St Thomas and St Maarten.
I much prefer St Maarten.
There were some really nice people ( store owners) among some less than nice ones.
To see the best stones ( diamonds), only the top few shops have things that would even begin to interest many PS readers.
On days when there were 5 or 6 ships in town, it was packed.
The hottest shops could sell a massive amount of stones a good day.
The beaches are really nice.

You can ( or at least could) walk into the Harley dealership and rent a Harley for like $200 a day.
All you need is a drivers license.

 

[AprilBaby]

What do you think of watch prices there? I was unsure if they had Rolex or Faux lex .

 

[Madison2]

We had great weather, low of 77 and high of about 83 every day, beats the cold weather in the NY area.
I did see Oro-Diamente, they do a lot of advertising. In fact if I am not mistaken they had a store in the hotel we stayed at, The Sonesta on the Dutch side of the island.

Sounds like you had perfect weather. Yes, Oro diamante opened up in the Sonesta 3 years ago. That store has some fun jewelry, like adorable bracelets. I got a gorgeous Hamsa bracelet that I get tons of compliments on and is not real gold but looks it.
I like the larger store on Front Street, they carry some gorgeous jewelry in gold and diamonds. Thats were Raju is. He is so wonderful to deal with.
We are going in July and cant wait

 

[Madison2]

I love St Maarten.
Shopping, reasonable hotels, and Casinos on the Dutch Side, killer French food on the French side.
For about 10 years before I opened DBL my career was primarily selling in St Thomas and St Maarten.
I much prefer St Maarten.
There were some really nice people ( store owners) among some less than nice ones.
To see the best stones ( diamonds), only the top few shops have things that would even begin to interest many PS readers.
On days when there were 5 or 6 ships in town, it was packed.
The hottest shops could sell a massive amount of stones a good day.
The beaches are really nice.

You can ( or at least could) walk into the Harley dealership and rent a Harley for like $200 a day.
All you need is a drivers license.

Yes Rockdiamond, the best beaches and food on the French side!

 

[WillyDiamond]

What do you think of watch prices there? I was unsure if they had Rolex or Faux lex .

Yes, they have all the high end watches. Goldfinger's is the Rolex AD, they have 2 stores on Frontstreet, and one in Marigot on the French side, quite a good selection. I personally do not buy from AD's, I am a watch enthusiast and buy and sell from reputable people on the watch forums. But I do know they were willing to discount Rolex, they told me so. If you are looking for a Rolex, we have forum members that are 100% reputable, but if you have to buy from an AD, check the prices in the US before you go.