As summertime approaches everyone begins their vacation planning that they have been looking forward to since last summer.
The usuals are a trip to Disney, the Grand Canyon, driving up to grandma’s house. or one of the most sought after: cruises.
What is it about boarding a gigantic boat and sailing the Caribbean for a week that sets off something in our minds that we must buy EVERYTHING?
Is it the delicious food? The scenic views? The cute crewmen? It’s not like you spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the tickets, so you must buy the entire boat to compensate.
A cruise is just like Disney, there is no way you’re not going to spend your life savings all in one day; however, Disney is way more credible so you can trust that they won’t try to con you out of your money. Cruises on the other hand have had different stories, especially when it comes to jewelry.
Jewelry is one of the biggest if not the largest source of income for many of these small Caribbean islands who mainly rely on tourism for they economic stability. And because the season for cruise lines is so limited, these jewelry companies, large and small, are forced to make their year’s worth of income in a matter of months.
With their mantra being “Sell! Sell! Sell!” there is no predicting what these sales people will tell you in order to get you to purchase that diamond.
In one case reported by Jewelry Insurance Issues there was a woman who thought she was getting a good deal by purchasing a $6,000 diamond for only $3,000. Little did she know that when she brought it to her local jeweler for an appraisal, it would only be worth $2,000. Long story short she paid $4,000 more than it was actually worth.
We can’t tell you what and what not to buy, but what we can say is please be cautious with where you spend your money!
Our Problem Solvers don’t want to be the ones to tell you your jewelry is worth less than what you paid for!