Help.. I live in the Caribbean.. buy here?

[Needforring]

First of all, let me say that this website is great! I am not sure what ring I would have ended up without it..

I know this has been mentioned before, but just a few extra queries. I am British but live in the British Virgin Islands (only 20 minutes ferry from St Thomas), I got engaged in April but will hopefully get a ring before Christmas. Fiancé and I were going to go to St Thomas, however, I now see on the forum that rings in St Thomas are a bad bad idea. Is this still the case? I am looking for a solitaire but set on a ring with small diamonds (a bit like a eternity ring but with a diamond in the middle – sorry about my lack of correct terminology, I have only been learning about diamonds in the last few weeks..). I think from what I have read, a loose stone is best, rather than a ready made ring. Anyway, the OH budget is about $5,000. I was thinking with this I could get a round S11-S13, up to J, not sure about carat (I am a woman, the bigger the better!) Should I buy in the islands or not? We have 2 jewelry stores in the BVI, and I did see an I1, J, 2 carat diamond for $15,000 and I thought that was a bit steep, so worried that I am going to get ripped off… If not, if there are any stores that you could recommend.

I am not sure if I can buy online, although I will be in the States in January (Nevada), should I wait til then?

Thank you all, sorry about the long email

 

[starryeyed]

Hi Mary.

I use to live in Puerto Rico and have been in many of the St. Thomas jewelry stores. You must be very careful - there are a TON of tourist traps! It is very important that you deal with someone you can trust. The deals that seem "too good to be true" usually are. Like for example, I remember seeing diamond studs in one store that seemed like a great deal. However, when I looked more closely at the diamond''s dimensions, the width and the depth were the same! This means that if the diamond were cut correctly, the weight would be a lot less and the studs would not be worth nearly what they were asking.

So who''s trustworthy? For many years, I have dealt with "Jennifer" at Pierre''s in Palm Passage. They have a nice selection of gemstones and can get you any size diamonds you want. Their goldsmith is excellent and they can make you lovely custom things. Lately though, as I have become more educated about the diamond industry, I found I could get better diamond prices by buying online or through one of the Pricescope vendors. Pierre''s is an excellent resource to keep in mind though if you are looking for a B&M in St. Thomas.

Hope this helps!

 

[mtrb]

Can you get a PO box in St. Thomas? Perhaps there is a vendor that would ship there if you are concerned about international shipping.
There may also be an appraiser that one of the vendors work with and could forward the diamond to. Not sure if these ideas are too far outside the box, but you would be better off working with an online company.

 

[Needforring]

Thank you all for your help..

If I were to buy a ring online, would they ship to a hotel in Nevada? (Las Vegas?)
My fiance or I don''t have a US credit card, would they accept a UK one?

 

[belle]

Date: 11/20/2006 11:50:16 AM
Author: Needforring
Thank you all for your help..

If I were to buy a ring online, would they ship to a hotel in Nevada? (Las Vegas?)
My fiance or I don''t have a US credit card, would they accept a UK one?

it would depend on the vendor, on both accounts. i am sure you can make suitable arrangements.

best of luck!

 

[mtrb]

I think each vendor probably has a different policy. They may have a jeweler they work with in Nevada and you could organize something for that time, but I doubt they would be willing to ship to a hotel...however I honestly don't know. The best way to find out would be to call or email them. They may even be willing to send it to your home.

Good old Gold, Whiteflash have a great reputation. I bought mine at Jamesallen.com. They were excellent also.

I would start just emailing or calling the different vendors to see what your options are. Keep in mind that many of the vendors have access to the same stones also.

Looks like you need to do a little research...

Im sure you will find a way to make it work.