Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
beachbum05
Posted:
Member since
Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
How are prices, etc? Is it a bad idea?
FH and I are going there on a cruise in a few weeks and I was thinking that we might buy our rings there (it'll be sentimental - it was also the first place we ever officially went on vacay years ago).
But I wasn't sure if the prices were a rip off, or better....?
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
futuremrsfab
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
I bought gold earrings in mexico when i went on a carnival cruise- the price was good- not amazing but better than the states. I bought it from one of the places that the cruise company guarantees- that way if I had any problems, carnival actually guarantees it. Every cruise line gives you a list of guaranteed shopping when you get to each port- so I would use that... or pay by credit card so that its guaranteed- check what purchase protection you have
LuvMyAlfonse
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
I haven't but BUY ME SOMETHING TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FutureMrsPD
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
I got a Tiffany & Co. necklace from Jamaica...we saved a decent amount of $ like we didnt have to pay any tax and then they negotiated a little on the price.
Katie&Chris2006
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
On our HM we bought a Breitling watch for DH and diamond earrings for me and we got a 'good' deal in Cozumel. Breitling is very closely monitored so can only be discounted so much (better price than the states), so the real savings was on my earrings. I also recently bought a gorgeous blue topaz/diamond necklace in the Bahamas for a great price. Both jewelry pieces appraised for much higher when we got home.
Just be picky - avoid places that are super eager to slash the price by 90% right away and try to stick with 'recommended' places if you are on a cruise. For example, we were in one store and looking at a bracelet that was marked $3600. Within less than five minutes DH had him down to like $500. The guy was super anxious and it had to be too good to be true - it was probably worth 10 bucks. We walked.
Happy shopping!
jjk1007
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
We've bought a lot of different things in St. Thomas. And I hear that St. Thomas and St. Maarten are the best shopping spots in the Caribbean.
I bought my wedding band there, DH bought a ring there (not his wedding band though), we bought two Movatos there, and a really nice camera. I would say their prices usually beat the prices back at home but not by too much. The big thing is that its tax and duty free....thats where you really save the money. I would definitely suggest you buy your rings there because you're going to save money no matter what, whether its a lot or a little really depends on how good you are at haggling. Plus, I love that my wedding band is from St. Thomas rather than just a regular jewelry store.
beachbum05
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
Ladies - thank you so much!!
I didn't realize that cruise ships recommend places to you. And we will definitely be sure to buy with a credit card if we do buy anything.
Thank you so much - this was really helpful.
***
Katie - where in the Bahamas did you buy your necklace? Do you remember? Thanks again!
DeeluvsVinny
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
My mom has been to aruba a few times and got beautiful jewelry there. She just recently bought a few pieces and she thought she got good prices, but when she got home, she took the pieces to her jeweler and asked him to tell her what they were worth, without telling him how much she paid..and she over-paid. By a pretty decent amount. She paid with a credit card though, so she's disputing the charges and going to call the jeweler there to talk to him.
Her jeweler told her you definitely pay more on the islands, but most people don't care becase it's sentimental.
Just be careful and DEFINITELY pay by credit card.
AS
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
I bought fine jewelry on the Greek Islands.
Future Mulligan
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
i would just be careful that everything you are getting is legit....
diamonds - you should have some kind of certification like you would get here
watches - should come from an authorized dealer so you know you are getting the real thing
i heard the islands have good prices but ive never been there so i really dont know
katleigh3
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
Same here Bonnie...Steven and I just got back from a cruise in September and we bought my wedding band there for like half the price it was here. We would have bought his band there too...but we couldn't find his size unfortunately...but we tried...
Which cruise ship are you going on? Just curious...
I'm so excited for you....you're going to have a GREAT TIME...sooooooo freakin' jealous....
ido7112008
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
I bought a Michele watch in St. Marteen, and saved close to $800.
I dont know anyone who has purchased a diamond, but I would just make sure they can provide you all certifications . Ask questions about getting it appraised etc.
Good luck - have a fun cruise!
MrsD71208
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
The prices aren't much of a steal there....it's like saving on tax. I am way too skeptical to buy fine jewelry in a spot that is hard to get back to if there are problems.
Mici n KC
Posted:
Member since
Re: Has anyone ever bought fine jewelry in the Bahamas or another island?
I have bought several pieces of jewelry from a few islands. FH bought his Rolex in Aruba and saved a lot. Cruise ships give you recommendations because certain jewelers advertise with them. The big one is Diamond's International. It helps because you know they're reputable, but they're also more expensive than some other shops you may not know about because they don't adverstise with the cruise lines.
