The Miami Herald is reporting on cruise passengers rocked by unscrupulous jeweler. The Thompsons bought Jewelry for $24,000. Had it appraised back home. The certified appraisal value was $8,800. The appraiser claims the carat weight and clarity of most of the stones were off. Quality not so good and total carat weight off by over two carats.

This is pretty obvious to our community, but it bears repeating. Be careful when shopping for Jewelry away from home. Damn careful. Especially when you’re on a cruise. Make sure you know what you’re doing ahead of time. Unless you can afford to throw away $25k and “need” to buy the Jewelry then and there (perhaps to impress someone?), save the larger Jewelry purchases for someone you know and have a future relationship with. Otherwise you may have a hell of a time returning it if need be.