My girlfriend and I will be shopping for an engagement ring on a cruise we are taking to the caribbean this winter. I hear that the islands have excellent prices on jewelry. Which one would be the best to shop for the ring and why?

All the glitters is not...
Be very careful. Look for a jeweler who is preferably CGI certified and who also guarantees your return privileges and best of all, has a US branch. Anything 14K is dicey these days. Semi-precious stones and emeralds are a better buy than diamonds for which you'd do better to hit 47th St.in NYC.

Tiverton is correct, I know people who got burnt in the islands because they had no clue what they were buying. Before you go, teach yourself where to and what to look for on a piece of jewelry.

I agree with previous posters. For a watch or other gem jewelery, taking advantage of duty free shops in the islands might be ok, but for such an important and valuable purchase you are much better off with a reputable and trustworthy jeweler at home.

I have happily shopped at and trusted Colombian Emeralds for jewellery shopping and they do have good prices - better than here in Canada...but they aren't as low as some of the less well known shops - but I like the discount with the reliability.

A suggestion: buy the diamond here in the States from a certified gemologist;then, buy something non-traditional as memory of your island experience when you're there. Instead of set stones, look for endemic jewellery made of coral, black or brown, sometimes inlaid with gold and semi-precious stones. If you go anywhere near the DR (aha! THE ONE thing I can recommend about the island),
larimar, a milky blue lighter-than-turquoise opaque stone as well as AMBER -- champagne light to honey to red-gold and mahogany, sometimes with inclusions of primaeval insects (hint: know your woman) done in big chunky Angela Pintaldi Italian-style smooth or rough stones would be the gift I'd put under any woman's pillow. To test for real amber vs. copal amber or plastic, bring a scrap of wool with you and a Kleenex tissue. Tear the Kleenex into tiny shreds. Rub the amber pieces on the wool, briskly, to create static electricity. Touch the amber to the fibrous tissue shreds. If it's the real stuff, th3 tissue fiber strands should 'move'/ should stand up, as if magnetized. If not, pass it up.

Wow !! Tiv ... Thats impressive advice ! I will remember that . Faith

Heh, Faithie - next time you're on island , you gotta stay at one of our places Though he's in Copenhagen now, one of my best friends works in horn, brown coral, tortoise shell and gold in the middle of nowhere on the South Coast. Yeah, know tortoise is endgangered/illegal, but this guy built one extraorindary tortoise and silver
reliquary-style box. Price:us$125.

I have to tell a true but horrible story that happened on St. Thomas. I forget which jeweler, but it was one of the reputable ones. We were on a Princess Cruise with another couple. They bought their engagement ring there. The diamond they saw in the store was a "very good" diamond. We had an excursion to catch, so they promised to send it to the ship. It was paid by credit card. Needless to say as the ship was pulling away, all four of us were admiring this beautiful ring. There was a crack on the stone underneath the prong. THEY SWITCHED IT! Since the "well respected diamond jeweler" is backed by Princess Cruises, Princess took the ring and a credit was issued. No hassle. Unfortunately they did not get married, but maybe that was a sign. If you choose to buy on the islands,do your research, buy from someone that is backed up from the cruise in case something happens, and do not let them deliver the diamond to the ship.Be there at all times. I agree about 47th street being a better deal. Best of luck to you.

If you are stopping in St. Thomas, I would reccommend Grand Jewelers (grandjewelers.com). My family travels to the Caribbean every year and we always make a stop there. They are very reputable and have beautiful diamonds.