I have a slightly different take on DI. Last week my wife and I entered their St Maartin store as we had several others of their shops, that is, with no intention to buy anything. We looked at diamond solitaires in the 3 carat range as a possible replacement for my wife's 2 carat GIA certified ring. We were shown 2 four carat stones which were M color and clearly not a consideration. We were set to leave when miraculously a 3 carat stone appeared, E in color and clearly better quality than the first two. The price was $29,500, a lot of money. The list was $41000 and the appraisal was for $45,000. We asked for a loupe but it didn't come. Nor did a copy of the EGL USA certifiacate. I suggested we leave to see at least if the price came down. But we didn't leave and I could see my wife was very interested. She picked out a setting and I knew this was now more than just a browsing session. As she stepped outside with another salesman, I said to the main guy, give me your best price cause I am ready to leave. He said $29,000. I asked to see pendant setting for the 2 carat stone I had given my wife years ago. She picked one out and I said you can throw that in, right? He did. Next thing I know I've paid for it, never having been given a loupe, though my wife had used it briefly. As we were waiting for the credit card approval, he casually said "By the way, this has been laser drilled." I don't have a clue about laser drilling and when he explains it, I said it sounds similar to heating stones which is controversial. But that's all I said and the deal went through. In short that night I had terrible misgivings about the purchase. I couldn't believe I had just dropped $29000 in a foreign country and in a shop I had little knowledge of. Worse, I hadn't really tried to get the price down. When I came home and read this site, I really began to sweat, so today I had it appraised by a very reputable local appraiser. She said $37,200. I stopped sweating. But let me warn you: be very careful with all these shops that are recommended on board ship. DI's return policy is virtually useless as others have shown. Don't be stupid like me and purchase a big ticket item unless the terms are much more in your favor, the price is rock bottom, and you have seen the stone with a loupe or even better, a scope. Bargain hard and walk out if necessary. We had spent 3 hours there and now I really believe if we had done what I originally suggested and walked out of the shop, he would have lowered the price more rather than to lose a sale. We are not kids and we knew better than to do this, but we got caught up in things. Don't let it happen to you. We were lucky, very lucky. Don't count on luck when you're spending thousands. Incidentally, the EGL USA subsidiary which provides apparisals said it was worth $45,000, 20% more than what the local appraiser said. Caveat emptor. Believe me, it is better to lie in bed thinking "Darn, I wish I had bought that ring" than it is to be thinking "Oh, my God, what did I do? How stupid could I be"

Like many others here, I have had a terrible experience with Diamonds International. On a Holland America Crusie August 2009, I bought a tanzanite and diamond ring from them for $1750. I wanted to make sure I had gotten a fair deal, so I had an independant appraisal done with a certified gem lab when I got home. Not only was the stone smaller and of a lesser quality than represented, but the setting was so bad the appraiser was suprised that the setting was new. The ring was appraised at $600.

I immediately contacted Holland America, since I only went to Diamonds International based on the presentation of their "shopping expert". They referred my complaint to the PPI Group, who, to my surprise, employed the "shopping expert".

The PPI Group has been responsive so far, but Diamonds International doesn't respond to phone calls, has provided no e-mail address and denies any knowledge of records from their Juneau store. The fax number where they asked me to send their own appraisal and receipt and the independant appraisal was inoperable.

I continue to hope Holland America will hold their onboard agents to a reasonable standard, and that I will get a full refund on the ring.

10/19/09 Update:

I have now been contacting Diamonds International, PPI Group and Holland America for a month and getting nothing but a run around.

I am very disappointed in Holland America and their apparent participation in what I believe to be fraudulent practices of merchandisers on their ships. This was my second trip on Holland America and I was travelling with 10 other passengers, all of whom have been involved with the travel industry for years. It is highly unlikely that any of us will cruise with Holland America or promote them again unless they change their policy to stop promoting businesses like Diamonds International on their shipboard presentations.

I would encourage anyone who is cruising to avoid the onboard shopping presentations, and to insist on accountability from the cruise line for shipboard sales presentations provided with their consent and participation.

I, for one, will continue to be aggressive about demanding a full refund on my jewelry purchase. I would strongly encourage anyone who has purchased jewlelry from Diamnds International to get an appraisal from a reputable gemologist.

SCAM ARTISTS !!!!!
I purchased a Tag Heuer watch in Alaska with them a week ago. They told me it could be returned within 30 days for any reason. It cost $1100. Upon returning home I see the same watch with same guarantee for $850.

DO NOT BUY FROM THESE THiEVES UNLESS YOU LIKE THROWING YOUR MONEY AWAY.
THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE POLICY STINKS.

Purchased engagement ring one year ago. In general,we are happy with our purchase. The ring did appraise for $1200 more than paid, not as much as we had hoped, but not bad. We did our homework on stones in advance and compared several online quotes during the bargaining process and simply refused the first offers. Disappointed with band quality, however. It has significantly changed in color and appearance and needs constant cleaning to keep it's color; will eventually replace. Highly recommend that you do your homework in advance if you choose to purchase with this company, and secure insurance through your home insurance company immediately. In hind sight, we'd probably go with our hometown jewelry store....could have gotten the same deal and supported a local business. Enjoy your cruise or vacation to see the sites, not bother shopping for jewelry. Consider how these companies have taken over small towns and removed the character from once more charming places. I wish I had thought through that aspect more carefully.

I brought a loose diamond with 18k white gold ring for $6100 from Mexico Cozumel at 11/25/08. It is D color SI1 and premium cut. We expected this diamond is good diamond because it comes with EGL certificate. However, I found very big black inclusion with my naked eyes after I washed my hair with the new ring in day 2. How can a reputation Jewelry store do something to us?  I returned the ring to super shopper at Carnival curies. After I returned Boston, I called DI couple times, but the customer service is very poor communication.  The last e-mail from DI, they only agree to do two options. Option 1:  replace I3 quality ring with $100 more. Option 2 took the original ring again. Super shoper Andrea from Liberty Carnival promised to send me a good replacement.  However, she only returned the ring back to the store and wants nothing to do with her.  If anyone can help us, Please e-mail me miho_ma@yahoo.com.  

Hi !!
I have been many times to different Islands and i have always purchased from them.
It happened to me that i did go to a Jeweler appraising a diamond and he said that i overpaid.(i guess he wanted the business)
After 2 days i sent a friend checking if i could get the same for the price that he quoted to me.
Of course the price was much higher and the diamond was of low quality.
I will always purchase from DI since their price and service is great.

My story is very similar to many of the ones posted here. I bought a loose diamond from Diamonds International in St. Kitts. Had it appraised once we returned home, the diamond was inferior. I have been trying to get my money refunded but suddenly now it's an EGL stone even though there was no mention of EGL when purchased no any EGL certificate until I demanded my money back.

This is a fraudulent company, DO NOT BUY from Diamonds International. Stay far away. I am currently working with American Express to try to get my money refunded; I am also contacting the New York Office of Attorney General and Better Business Bureau. This company needs put out of business.

I encourage everyone to involve their credit card company, the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau, post online; tell your stories to the cruise lines...do anything and everything you can think of to put this place out of business.

while shopping last feruary my husband and i purchased a diamond for $57,000 . we were also on a cruise ship which recommended us to shop only there ,,even though they were advertising for many stores so we went straight there without price comparing because we were told they could not be beat by the port lecturer... well after purchasing the diamond they were setting it for me into a platinum setting and they chipped the stone... well they did not mention that it had been chipped but thankfully i noticed it was ... the sales person actually tried to tell me that the stone was not chipped, i asked for the manager who tried to explain that it was a flaw in the diamond not on the out side...well i wasnt paying for a chipped or flawed stone ,if i did i wouldent have spent 57,000!!!!!! needless to say in about 2 hours of arguing and having to call the police i got a full refund ..also i was offered by the owner a different stone of the same exact quality and size stone i purchased 3 hours earlier for a "discounted price" of 38,000...... why was i being charged 57,000 in the first place then?????... what a nightmare.. well as we were leaving a fellow from pennsylvania approached us and told us that he worked for a family owned store that had quality merchandise at unbelivable prices.. we followed him to his store and to our amazement found a larger stone that was better quailty than diamonds international had sold us for 35,000, and i also bought a 15 carat diamond bracelet for 12,500 from him.and a beautiful mens ring for my husband for 5,000.. well when we got back on the ship the shop talk girl said it might be fake merchandise and why did we not shop with the cruise ship recommended stores, we dont know what were buying etc..... well upon returning home we brought the items to a jeweler we have purchased from in the past and paid for an appraisal.... all three items we purchased appraised between 40- 50 % higher than what we paid ... the jeweler had no idea what i paid for them but after the appraisal was finished we told him, and he told us he had lost us forever as a cutomer!!!!!!! if anyone goes to st. thomas us virgin islands shop at spectrum jewelers.. you can ask for the owner jad or any of his sales people are knowledgeable experianced honest and hospitable.. we are returing on a cruise in january and cant wait to pick up some more goodies!!diamonds international is a rip off.. they should call it rip off international..truly a nightmare i wouldnt even recommend picking up the free gift they offer!!!!

I was very pleased with shopping at DI. I traveled with Princess cruise lines and purchased diamond studs for 1950. The appraisal at Bailey, Banks and Biddle came back for 5000! Martin,(the representative for Princess) and the DI store in Saint Thomas truly made me a deal and I usually only go to top end stores. Thank you DI.

I'd been looking for a new watch and on the advice of Bruce, Holland America's shopping guru, I went to Diamond International's watch store in Juneau, Alaska. I am normally a die hard when it comes to price shopping, but after Bruce's spiel I was convinced I couldn't do better than DI and I paid $1190 for a Tag Heuer watch. I found when I got home that I could've gotten the same watch for about $900. Even with tax it would've been a couple hundred dollars cheaper. I love the watch and it'll remind me of my amazing trip to Alaska so I'll just consider this a lesson learned and will continue to enjoy it, but I won't be fooled again.

We were on the Norwegian Sun and were also told by the representitive Kimberly Hill, that we would get a great deal especially with out VIP card. Asked her opinion before and after purchase and was lied to. We bought a ring that is Hearts on Fire 2 karats worth of diamonds. Received an appraisal for $7200.00 (the actual purchase price) We consulted with 2 reputable jewelers in Boston and found that the ring is only with $3000.00 - $4000.00. We were also told that there would be no problem returning as long as we were within the 30 days. LIE! That rule only applies if you purchase online. There has to be some recourse! If anyone has any information as how to proceed please email me at vmac46@yahoo.com

Rep on Carnival Fascination recommended Diamonds International as a safe place to shop.  He also said that we get a VIP price (lowest price possible)without the need to haggle.  It was totally wrong information.  We were charged for a white gold chain three times the thickness. The Lot # written on the receipt was for a different chain than the one I got.  All this information was discovered after the ship sailed out of port.  Dealing with their customer support was a run around and still have not gotten things straightened out yet.  I would not recommend this company at all.

I had an excellent experience at Diamonds International. My husband and I bought a beautiful Maurice Lacroix watch for him and a Phillip Stein for myself. We got a great discount compared to the prices we had seen at home. Diamonds International even gave us a warranty from the watch companies and the salesperson was very knowledgeable about watches and explained all the complications and functions of the watches we had bought. I highly recommend this store!

I totally disagree with the above; I bought few times from them, probably spent about 15000 over the years. Great service and good value.

I couldn't agree more with the other reviewers. This is the worst place to buy jewelry! My $1900 diamond studs are worth half of that. They looked absolutely beautiful in the store. I asked them if they treated or enhanced this set and they said they had not. After getting them home and cleaning them a few times, it is evident that they did. My only recourse is a strong BUYER BEWARE!

I was ripped off at Diamonds International at St. Thomas too. The product is very low-graded and their policy on return is unfair for consumers. I was forced to take the store credits, which can not be redeemed unless I take another cruise trip or fly hundreds of miles to go to NY or FL. Stay away from this merchant, unless you want to get burnt!

My boyfriend and I were getting engaged so we decided to go to Diamonds International in St. Thomas after Carnival Cruise Lines highly recommended them. We spoke with Andrew Tachauer, the Supper Shopper on the Carnival Valor. He informed us that we had nothing to worry about when shopping at Diamonds International. He stated that Diamonds International is Carnival's "#1 recommendation for diamonds." Mr. Tachauer told us that we were guaranteed to get the best price there and that if anything went wrong we would be helped by Carnival or by just contacting Diamonds International directly. After being on Carnival several times, we trusted Carnival's and Mr. Tachauer's recommendation and purchased an engagement ring with the matching band that came with it at the Diamonds International in St. Thomas. The ring was damaged during the sizing. I spotted that the diamond was chipped when we got back on board and took it to the port shopping desk. Mr. Tachauer recommended that I go to the Diamonds International in St. Maarten, the next port, where we would be arriving the next day. We worked directly with the store's manager, Anil. They "upgraded" the ring to the same style but said it was a better color, which it ended up being a worse one, and charged us an additional $495 which I agreed to thinking I was getting better rings. Upon arriving home in New York I had an appraisal performed by a certified gemologist whose sole purpose is to give gem appraisals in a laboratory. It turns out that Diamonds International totally misrepresented the rings' values and attributes. The independent appraiser said that the set was worth at most $1,900. Diamonds International's appraisal was for $3,495 and they said that the diamonds were all SI2. The independent appraiser deemed the diamonds to all be I2 to I3 and they contained numerous holes in them. The independent appraiser informed me that the only valid piece of information by Diamonds International was that the ring was 14 karat gold and that I was scammed. Diamonds International will only offer a store credit or to replace only the side stones in my ring. The main diamond on top of the engagement ring is an I3...the worst you can get. We even went to their headquarters in New York City and they will not speak with us, saying we should call up that same main telephone number for an appointment. After we did not accept their offers, they want nothing to do with us and will not respond to us. Why would we want a store credit for more merchandise that is misrepresented. As a frequent customer of Carnival, I trusted their recommendation and trusted that if anything went wrong I would be helped. AVOID THIS COMPANY!!!

I've worked with this company for more than 5yrs the jewellry is sub standard originally tagged made in china then the tags are switched to one which says made in USA the mark up is between 350% - 700% Their so called trade in policy is a hoax where customers get ripped off big time .The shopping guides onboard the vessels who promotes where to shop and where not to shop is on diamonds international payroll the shopping guides all have their sales target it.Whenever they surpass their sales targets makes huge commision. Their discount coupons are a ripoff they instruct the staff to further inflate the prices then take off the $50. or value of the coupons. Jewellry is 3times cheaper in other store not promoted by the ship for profit. If anyone need info please contact me.Do not listen to the shopping guides they are working for the stores they are promoting. always shop with american express card they will help you if you were ripped off.

I wish I had known this site was here before i wasted a LOT of money! I filed a complaint with Diamonds International in July of 2004. When they were setting a diamond and side stones that I purchased through DI, they skorched the platinum, and destroyed on the semi-mount. I have been in contact with Diamonds International almost every week for the past TWENTY MONTHS and there is still no resolution. I have been told I am dealing with the highest supervisor within Diamonds International. I have left 17 messages for him, NONE of which has been returned. Diamonds International is still in possession of my engagement ring, which I have not been able to wear for almost two years. I would NEVER use Diamonds International!!! And I regret using them the first time.

Totally agree, be careful in this shop!!!!!!!!! We visited the one in St. Thomas and on a lark purchased a diamond bracelet. I had it appraised and it turns out it was lower color grade than we had been told at the store. I have put in a claim and I will see how that works out. Fortunately and by dumb luck at least it appraised for more than we paid for it but would have been better off at Overstock.com! I will never shop with them again.

Too bad there one star is the lowest rating possible. I'd like to give a negative Buyer beware if you shop at Diamonds International. On a recent trip to Mexico, I purchased a ring that appraised for $1100 less than what I paid for it. (I had two seperate appraisals, both done by an independent gem labs.) Diamonds International is refusing to refund my money. The friend I traveled with also purchased a ring which appraised for considerably less. Learn from me and do your homework. Do not be fooled by the fact the DI is a recommended store by most/all cruise lines. As I found out after returning home, those recommendations are simply paid endorsements from the cruise lines. They mean nothing. Before you buy from DI, please go to some cruise/travel message boards and search for DI. You'll see that many other people have had similar problems.

Ripp off artists in every store. If you like beeing taken shop at Diamonds International. Selling junk jewelry at inflated prices.