Are diamonds a good deal in Panama? We are going on a Panama Canal cruise & want to buy a diamond ring there.?

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rivkarut2004

No, diamonds are not such a good buy here. Emeralds are so, so...cheaper in Colombia than here. Gold is sold by weight, of course. Gold has gone up in the last year as you would expect because of the stock market. There are lots of Mom and Pop type jewelry stores in Panama if you are docking on the Panama Bay end of the canal. (Colon I don't know so well.) You can go to Central Avenue with a hired driver. There the jewelry stores will bargain with you over the price. I would use a cruise recommended taxi or tour service to do this. You'll need the driver's translation services in the jewelry store although we've found a lot of the owners speak English. The driver will probably get a small kick back on whatever you buy, but hey that's the Latin American way. I would suggest you predetermine what you can afford to spend without being disappointed in your purchase then take the driver and pound the pavement in the dozens of little shops on Central Avenue until you've got your best price, if you want it, buy it and have a great time experiencing the culture. Drink a jugo de cana or a agua de pipa. Eat a pixbae, a bollo, a empanada. Have a bowl of Sancocho, or if you can find a chichimi they are to die for. If you buy in a jewelry store it's going to be real, the chance you are taking is how much you will pay, how good of a haggler are you? I had a custom piece made for my daughter in January and we have been very happy with the work and quality of the piece we bought on Central Avenue.

BUT, if you are just looking for cheap diamonds in Panama it will be cheaper than the states, but then again not so cheap since diamonds are a controled commodity and no they are not a natural resource of any quantity here. What you will have going for you here is the market price up in consideration of the economy, it take less to live here in Panama. But if they can get the big bucks from you they will!

Hope you enjoy our beautiful Panama.

For other types of information about Panama see http://www.panamaexpertos.com/

worker

Yes< i live in Panama, diamonds are way more cheap than in the US. You can get diamond ring in the free zone, beautifull, and not expensive. good luck and have fun, enjoy our beautiful country and come back.

IndyOracle

I lived in Panama for a few years, and don't recall others talking about diamonds. There were some gold jewelry craftsman ... but I can't recall any shop names

Best advice? Shop at a jewelry store on the "approved" list furnished by your cruise line. At least the purchase will be backed up by the cruise line if turns out to be faulty.

My wife bought a very nice ring in St. Martin - at an approved shop - and has been delighted with it.

Oh.... we cruised back to Panama a couple of years ago. When our ship docked at Colon Panama we were warned it was a high crime area... never had any problems while we were there. I rented a car for the day and traveled to the Pacific side to visit the area we lived in. I don't recommend driving from one coast to the other unless you have a grasp of Spanish and don't mind very narrow roads with bumper to bumper traffic. They have a start on a freeway across the isthmus - but it ends about half way through the country. Local drivers are totally insane! Entering and exiting traffic circles are often a game of "whose chicken".

If you've never sailed through the canal do it! Great experience.

Have fun!

PS: My wife remembered the store name... Reprosa. When we lived there our wives "just had to have a golden frog"... they are kinda cute. I looked at their web site, and the company has really prospered. We shopped during 75-78 when the were first opening.

wcruzq

Defining the purchase of diamonds as a "good" deal in Panama is probably not the best of definitions. Surely you can find diamonds cheaper here than in the US, but it all depends on what you're looking for, and how much you're really looking to spend. I mean you can save maybe a $1,000 bucks, but then if you're going to go around a 1,000 times in your head if you had a good deal or if you were had, then better by them in your country and have your peace of mind that you can complain if you want.

I would go for the top jewelry stores in Panama City, which are: Barakat, Nat Mendez, Cartier (yes a Cartier Store in Panama), Mercurio Joyeros, Imperiale, Toisa. That's it. They carry good jewels, and they are experience gold dealers and craftsmen.

Good luck and enjoy Panama!

The Prof

Diamonds..yes but EMERALDS (because the proximity to Colombia) are a STEAL !

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