Eastern Carib.....Questions?
 

Hi ...my husband and I are doing the Eastern sailing in December and we need a little advice..first where is the best priced shopping for Jewelry..St.Maarten or St. Thomas? Also...can we walk to the Fort in San Juan or should we do an excursion thru the cruiseline? Any other helpful advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I'm sure some feel they have gotten some pretty good jewelry deals in St. Maarten - but St. Thomas is the best. The key indicator is the price you can buy gold (14K) for. In St. Thomas right now, its $8 a gram. In St. Maarten, you have to pay over $10.<BR><BR>You can walk to the Fort from the &quot;Old San Juan&quot; pier where Carnival and RCCL dock. Princess docks at Frontier Pier which is about a ten minute cab ride from Old San Juan. If you are at the right pier, its about a twleve to fifteen block walk to the Fort (some uphill).

Kathy<BR>I have found the shopkeepers in StThomas to be on the &quot;pesky&quot; side.I can hardly get out without making a purchase.I have found StMaarten to be less stressful and prices a bitmore reasonable.If your ship docks at the main pier in StThomas, you will be right at the Havensight Mall.A wonderful place to shop.The Dynasty Liquor Shop is the first on the left and they will definitely open by the time the ship docks.They have a daily special and will package and deliver to your ship.There used to be a shop beyond the &quot;mall&quot; up the hill from the BurgerKing called MangoTango.It was a fun place to get TShirts and such.If you go into town,you can walk.And definitely walk back from town as the traffic is killer.<BR>Jason

I would add to Jason's post that they jewelry shops at Havensight have their original stores in town. The prices between the two locations always has Havensight more expensive (same items). They obviously have a more &quot;captured&quot; audience at Havensight.

A question about jewelry purchases - have seen &quot;bargains&quot; on several islands (and other places in the world) and wonder how one goes about determining actual gold content, quality other than just looking and relying on shop keeper. There probably are bargains to be had, but I have been nervous about getting &quot;taken&quot;.

Kathy,<BR>May I suggest that if you have specific items you are shopping for that you check the prices at your local jewelry store before you go? If you are planning to buy gold, know the price and how to identify the quality. Gemstones, learn the points to look for and anyting else you need to know whether or not you are getting a &quot;buy&quot;.<BR>I have found that many times I can do as well or better (and I can return it if there is a problem)at home. Being an educated buyer is your best protection.<BR>I couldn't believe the amount of emeralds that people were buying in Colombia just because they thought they were a &quot;deal&quot;. Quality and price were no deal from what I saw. No, I don't own a jewelry store, but I, too, love the stuff.

gail - when I buy anything gold I verify the price/gram they're charging, I have them weigh the piece and I look for the 14K or 18K stamp on the piece indicating the gold content.

Hey....thanks for the advice.....actually I am looking for a deep colored purple ameythst set in white gold...I really am not looking to spend tons though so I didn't really know if is better to buy at home or down there??

Hi Kathy--I just returned from St. Thomas and St. Maarten (Dutch side). I still like St. Thomas for jewelry shopping. Everyone said that both towns were similar in price. I found St. Thomas to be cleaner and LESS aggressive. Plus much more variety in ST. T.<BR> As for the comment on transportation into the city, I personally would NOT want to walk it. It is very humid and if you are a shopper like I am (3-4 hrs). Taking a $3.00 AC taxi ride is a must (don't worry about the traffic--he is driving)<BR> Also, if you are on a cruise ship they will recommend reliable stores to shop in. If you get home and an appraisal is different than what you were told, atleast you have the 30 day guarantee with the ship behind you, too.<BR> What ship are you sailing, Kathy?<BR> Happy sailing!!

Thanks for the advice...we are sailing on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the seas!

Anyone that thinks they are getting a &quot;deal&quot; on jewelry should think again. I have a very close friend that owns a chain of well-respected jewelry stores here in the states.<BR><BR>There is no way one can actually know the gold content. Some inert ingredients can weigh just as much as &quot;solid&quot; gold. The 10, 12, 14 and 18K stamps are just that &quot;stamps.&quot;<BR><BR>If you wish to buy a brand name item such as a Rolex that must have a price that is equal to that in the U.S. or the store will lose its license to sell that brand you will save by not paying the tax. <BR><BR>Rule of thumb is, if you see an item that you really like and think it is pretty, then purchase it but do not think you are getting a &quot;deal.&quot;<BR><BR>If you think I am a lot of hooey just call the American Gemology Institute for their guidelines before you hit the islands.<BR><BR>Paul

Cruiser,and Paul TOO !!!<BR>Cruiser cuz it was yur response and Paul cuz u dah man........What is a &quot;30 day guarantee,with the ship behind you,too&quot;?? I have not heard of this or seen it ANYWHERE on any travel/shopping related site.It sounds like a terrific thing but I wud like more info plz.Thank You<BR>Jason

Jason your ship usually makes known a nimber of stores at each port of call that they recommend.The cruise line has an agreement with those stores that if the passenger isn't satisfied within 30 days they can get a refund.

Jason,<BR> Next time you are on a cruise, attend the shopping talk or tune in the TV as on some ships, and they will explain it to you. I believe you also must turn in a list of the purchases to them to get the guarantee. Check with the shopping lecturer on your next cruise if this is of interest to you.<BR> Hope that helps!<BR> I generally spend less than $1000. on jewelry on my trips with the attitude &quot;if I like it and it is within my budget&quot; I buy it. <BR> Happy cruising!!

You make it so easy sometimes, Paul. Please ask your friends at the American Gemology Institute if they know of a jeweler in the U.S. that sells 14K gold for $8 a gram and post the names on this thread. <BR><BR>As far as your comments on the stamped gold content, how do you know that those stamped in the U.S. are legitamite? Do you suggest we carry some chemicals along with us to test the gold?

Cruiser has the right idea. If you like it, buy it. Whether you think it is worth the money or not.<BR><BR>One should know and trust your jeweler if you are going to buy any big-ticket items.<BR><BR>As far as the cruiseline &quot;30 day guarantee&quot; I have heard some horror stories. If the store gives a passenger a hard time, the cruise line is not going to spring for the money.<BR><BR>Paul

Just a word of advice.We learned the hard way to never purchase a diamond absent a GIA (GemologicaL Institute of America) appraisal. Several years ago I purchased a solitaire for my wife from a very large, and ship recommended jewelry firm on St Thomas. The stone carried an appraisal of value based on carot, clarity and color from an appraisal organization named EGI. The stone was beautiful, and we thought we had gotten a real bargain based on shopping for LKQ in the States and other shops on St Thomas. When we got back to the States we had a GIA appraisal done and found that the EGI appraisal provided by the jewelry store was off by a full grade on the stone's color. The diamond still looked great to the eye, but because of a poorer color grade we should have paid much less for the stone. The jeweler in St Thomas stood behind their (EGI) appraisal, refused to consider any adjustment, and the cruise line was of no help in this dispute. Our insurance company would only insure the diamond to a value that was based on the GIA appraisal.

Here's an interesting story concerning gold. I was in a cruise line recommended shop in St. Martin. I saw a beatiful gold filled bracelet with a design I never saw in the states. I assumed the price would be higher than that in the states but $300 wasn't that bad and it was tax free. The clerk went through the standard weigh-in and told me I was getting a great bargain. I thought my wife would love the piece. Strange there was no gold stamp. I mentioned this. The clerk said &quot;wait a minute&quot; ran out of the store, came back in 10 minutes and the bracelet had a 14K stamp. Then I knew how foolish I was to ever consider the purchase.<BR><BR>Paul