Tanzanite in the Caribbean

[Carolina Girl]

Just curious if any have purchased Tanzanite stones while vacationing in the Caribbean? The selection seems so large. I''m sure not all sellers are to be trusted. Some seem to sell some beautiful stones.

 

[valeria101]

I am not very familiar with the selection, but I am with the marketing strategies of those resorts. It really pays to keep tourists entertained shopping while they cannot compare goods further than arm''s length and have nothing better to do

Sorry to say this... without the elegant technical terms.

If you do have the opportunity to reality-check the offer, well, there''s no knowing where good surprises actually come from. Top quality is never bargained for, no matter where the deal takes place.

Just my 0.2 from some sort-of-related experience. Hope better help is on the way.

 

[cflutist]

Like everything else, do your homework before you go. Not sure about Tanzanite prices, but when Websailor and I were in Grand Cayman 4 years ago one vendor wanted $10K more for a 3ct H-SI1 than I paid for my F-SI1. He was telling us what a great price it was, and it was duty-free. Yeah right. We are going to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia etc in April 2005, and I don''t plan to buy any jewelry there.

The cruisecritic.com boards are full of talk about jewelry shopping in the Caribbean. There were uneducated people who thought they got great bargains because the appraisal was for 2x - 3x what they paid (which we know is phony). There was also a number of posts from people who were taken for a ride.

Buyer Beware.

 

[Jennifer5973]

I have no first-hand experience buying jewelry in the Islands but I''ve spoken to a lot of pple about it who have and that''s why I don''t--it''s a myth that there are fabulous deals to be had there and few, if any, consumer protectiions. I''d pass.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I have yet to encounter any great "bargin" for jewellery and the sentimental reasons for buying something while "cruisng", in my personal experience, were limited.

That said, I recall one gal with whom we breakfasted , raving about the semiprecious jewellery she bought, and clearly stated she knew of comparison prices (in LA) and that she did "very well". On the other end of the spectrum, I used to work with a gal who cruised two and three times a year--same itinerary--and bought many pieces of jewellery and traded up her diamond ring at the same vendor in St. Thomas annually. Although she was not particularily informed about her purchases, felt "safe" buying from the same vendor for her diamond upgrade (her diamond is close to 5 carats I believe......).

As always, be informed

!! (and have fun cruising at any rate....)

cheers--Sharon

 

[Mayacamas]

Be aware, the reason there are so many jewelry stores in the Carribean is that they are there to part tourists away from their money- in other words you have people who have means there looking for something to shop for............

That being said, if I were to buy something in the Carribean it would be strictly a name brand thing like a watch from a certified dealer where I knew the price ahead of time and I would put it on a credit card so that I had some recourse if it wasnt what it was billed.

I would not buy jewelry in the Carribean- not even Tanzanite, although they do whip you into a frenzy by the time you leave- thinking its more precious than Burma Rubies...........or Kashmir Saphhires........

Just my 2 cents.

 

[NyssaLynne]

I have bought Tanzanite in Jamaica but it was from a reputable jeweler and I did my research before even thinking about buying.

I agree that most of the time you will not find a good deal, especially in a port of call for cruises. When we were in Nassau, Bahamas I was shocked at how awful their gemstone jewelry was and how high the prices were, especially after hearing cruising friends say what good deals they got. I was only shopping for diamond earrings and the stones were so ugly and cloudy with high prices. Don''t even think of finding any set in white gold either. Almost all the jewelry is yellow gold.

 

[Art Nouveau]

You won''t find any good jewelry deals in the Caribbean. Most of the stores are tourist traps and carry mostly mass produced merchandise. However, you can get 20 to 25% discount on name brand watches such as Rolex and Cartier, but I would check prices before you go and buy only at reputable stores. Cartier has their own stores in some of the bigger ports like Grand Cayman. You can also get discount on name brand crystal such as Lalique, Waterford, Bacarat, Daum and Swaroski. The stores will handle shipping for you. Most cruise ships also have on board jewelry stores. There are no bargains there either. I know a color stone jewelry manufacturer who supplies Princess and Crystal Cruises and he told me his stuff goes at full retail prices on cruise ships.

 

[Carolina Girl]

Thanks everyone for the advice. It is very tempting to see a large selection of beautiful purple blue tanzanite!!! It is my favorite colored stone
Cflutist-thanks for sharing info. cruisecritic.com, we have a cruise planned for this year. I love cruises. I am spending as much time on travel forums as I do on pricescope!! Thanks, Carolina Girl

 

[Nicrez]

Carolina Girl, I don''t ever suggest buying expensive stones (if you are not trained) without a certificate, and even then I still would!

I also almost bought Tanzanite in St.Thomas too, because it was "a good deal" and now that I know about Tanzanite, I know that what he showed me was very low grade and I was almost suckered!

 

[Libster]

This does not relate to Tanzanite, but Emeralds. We have had really good luck purchasing emeralds in the caribbean. I''m going to attempt to attach a collage and show you. The first purchase was the 3 stone ring and the emerald is not treated. After we got back to the states, I had it appraised to see what the value was and it did appraise for not 3 but 4 times what we paid. I''m sure we just got lucky. The last purchase was the loose emerald to use with the matching one in a dream 3 stone with a diamond center one day........I just love emeralds!

 

[Kaleigh]

Libster,
That''s great you got lucky!! I just love emeralds and you have quite a nice collection!!

 

[cflutist]

Did you guys know that there is a chrome green zoisite? Zoisite is the mineralogical name for Tanzanite.

 

[valeria101]

The "Modern Jeweler" mag makes these terrific Gem Profile presentations.... among which, one on the other gem zoisite colors. I was surprised to find out how nice are those that never heat to the expected, proper blue.

This was their green poster kid. I can't seem to find the photo with the yellow and orange ones !

 

[MJO]

Hi cflutist,

I bought a nice green Zoisite a couple of years ago. I can''t remember the exact weight but it''s about 6-7ct heart shape. It''s set in a neckless with for my wife.