(Need Help) Buying Diamonds from St. Martin........... Opinions of The Diamond Registry Inc.

[mandyk77]

I am looking for the best quality diamond for the money and am exploring several options. I have a close family member who has purchased several beautiful diamonds from Oro-Diamante in St. Martin. She feels that she gets more for the money. Does anyone feel that this is true? Are diamonds really more economical if purchased in St. Martin? The jeweler will send diamonds overnight for appraisal and has a reputable return policy.

My other option is a wholesale dealer (if such really exists) in the U.S. Has anyone dealt with The Diamond Registry Inc. in New York?

I am looking for an Oval stone that falls between 1.6-2.1 carats.

Thanks so much for the help!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, Mandy! Every post we've ever had here about people buying diamonds in the islands has been a disaster!!!! The stones were drastically overpriced for what they really got. Then when people get back here and have them appraised, they have great difficulty returning them. So please close that door!

There are vendors here who have transparent consumer ratings because people post their experiences both good and bad on the forum. I was on here for several months before I found the stone I wanted for our anniversary. We ended up buying from Good Old Gold near Long Island, NY. I later got diamond studs from a company called WhiteFlash. Both carry outstanding diamonds, have competitive prices, and are trustworthy.

But for an oval, I'd probaby contact Good Old Gold because they have great videos that can show you the stones you are choosing from. Kaleigh on this forum chose her oval stone that way, and it is gorgeous! There are some sample videos of stones on the homepage of the site. They have a 30 day return policy. He is also a great guy! I'd also recommend that you read about diamonds on his site. Incidentally, if they don't have a diamond listed on the site now that meets your parameters, he can look at his suppliers lists and call some in for you to see.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/

This is the link to her finished ring just so you can see the quality of Kaleigh's oval stone:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ready-or-not.54834/

 

[Ellen]

Ditto everything ds said. Please don't go that route.

p.s. TRUE wholesalers can't sell to the public. If someone calls themselves that and is selling to the public, they are a retailer.

 

[denverappraiser]

It’s not the jewelers address that makes one better than another. It’s the character of the people behind the counter/keyboard to watch for. St. Martin is an expensive place to do business but it’s convenient for lots of people because of the cruise port there and setting up a showroom in a place that’s convenient for shoppers is not, of itself, a bad thing. Each deal and each dealer should be evaluated on their own merits. So far we’ve got a store that’s well recommended by a close relative, that has offered what I presume seems to be an attractive deal, has offered to overnight it for inspection by whatever appraiser you wish and who has offered to accept a return if you’re unhappy. Frankly, that sounds pretty good so far. Failing a problem in the fine print (like the shipping fee, a restocking fee, an unreasonably short inspection period or similar strings associated with the return) I don’t see a problem with giving it further consideration and failing any difficulties with either the stone or the deal I don’t see any reason not to go through with it.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver

 

[Ellen]

Neil, would you say she has a good chance of getting the "best quality diamond for the money" there"?

 

[chrono]

Reading this reminds me of those previous posts where there''s a family friend or recommended friend jeweller involved who sells either lousy stones or over inflate the prices.

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 12/27/2007 11:38:48 AM
Author: Ellen
Neil, would you say she has a good chance of getting the ''best quality diamond for the money'' there''?

I think it’s possible for a good jeweler to operate out of St. Martin, New York City, Sidney, Boise, a small town in Oregon or pretty much anywhere else. In every case I think they should be judged on their own merits, not on the merits or problems of their neighbors. There are some crappy stores in St. Martin but I think it’s unreasonable to extend this to say that ALL stores there are crappy. So far there has been nothing beyond the address to suggest that this jeweler is less than stellar and they’ve done several things to suggest that they’re worthwhile. Choosing the ‘best diamond for the money’ based on the store location is almost certain to fail.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I just got back from vacation in St. Maarten, and I wasn''t impressed with the selection of available stones on the island. Granted I was only browsing and not seriously looking, but I think you can get a really good quality stone at a great price by going through an online vendor such as Whiteflash.

 

[Ellen]

Neil, fair enough.


I''m still skeptical though....