TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin diamonds

We will be in St. Maarten in 2 weeks and my son will be with us. He is looking for a diamond for his girlfriend and I am looking for advice as to the best jewelers there.

Everyone has their favorites, but I highly recommend Jeff Jhangiani at DK Gems right downtown in Philipsburg. Excellent service and prices, and you couldn't meet a nicer guy.

Prior buying any expensive jewelry, either at home or on the island, DO YOUR HOMEWORK and know what is what with regard to pricing, quality, warranty, service, etc. As others will state, many have their favorites and I would suggest shopping at least 2-3 recommended stores. Personally, we have been comfortable in dealing with Max at Caribbean Gems and have done so for many years. Prices are highly negotiable! Good luck.

I 2nd that recommendation, Jeff is the nicest guy you can meet, the address is 69a Front St, Phillipsburg, great prices, great selection great people.

We also recommend DK Gems. As the others have said Jeff is wonderful. We have dealt with them for many years.

Seascape,

I’ve dealt with the same SXM jeweler annually for the past 36 years and he’s NEVER let me down. That would be the Caribbean Gems family and specifically Manu and Max, but again, we ALL have our favorites and most returning guests form those alliances early on.

But the thing is, I agree heartily with ruralcarrier regarding him getting educated about diamonds before your son hits the island. He should spend time with a jeweler and learn about the four C’s with reference to diamond buying and he should have an idea of the size and grading quality he’s interested in as well as an amount he’s willing to spend and take it from there. Wheel and deal or not because most reputable jewelers have a bottom line on their merchandise and once they reach it, they’re done. The important thing is having a clue in what that should be.......

As I’m sure you already know, the item price as marked means nothing and you really need to bargain, and cash is usually king. The things I would look for include a GIA certified dealer, a stone I loved and a price I was comfortable with.

Good luck to your son and much happiness to him and to the lucky lady he’s shopping for.

A good indication is to look for a price that is 4-5 times lower than listed. But as others have said. Do your homework first. What I have spent over the years in Cardows (St. Thomas)alone in the early days, doesn’t bear thinking about particularly when I had simply no idea what I was looking at. But thx for those two mentioned. Never brought anything in SXM relating to jewellery and will look in December.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. He has done his homework and visited several jewelers where he lives. I believe he knows what he wants so he is excited to look on SXM.

Good deal! I would also suggest using a credit card (although cash may be king) so you have the option of a dispute in the case of a problem. Another option I know Caribbean Gems has offered customers is a credit card hold for a purchase and the option then to mail a check with divided payments to a US based address.

Regardless, shop around, be comfortable and having done the homework puts your son way ahead of the game. Good luck to him.

We always use our card. Makes the purchase not hurt as much when you get the miles too.

Any of these are reputable. Cash usually gets more discount. I like paying cash then it's pd for before I go home. They will give you a certificate with diamond info for insurance. It will be extra special coming from st maarten! Congratulations! Most of them have a place in new York if you have an issue. We never have over 20 years from buying their jewelery.