Duty Free Border Downtown | Jewellery-Gemstones-Gold

Duty Free Products

Jewellery-Gemstones-Gold

Buying jewellery in duty free is very much an impulse matter, rather than a planned purchase as it can be very difficult to find a specific item at the shops available during your travels. It is also quite difficult to compare products and prices before your journey as many duty free retailers do not publish their prices online.

For example, the purchase of an engagement ring is a very personal item and one that may be better chosen with time, something you do not have in an airport. Likewise, there are fitting and setting issues which cannot be easily adapted in a duty free store without excessive time.

There are exceptions to this rule, one being the purchase of gold and gold jewelery items in Dubai at Dubai Duty Free. This airport probably has the largest gold section of any duty free store in the world. The other exception is the vast array of jewellers shops available at the Caribbean cruise destinations of St Thomas in the USVI, St Martin, The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and The Cayman Islands. Likewise, Panama is a duty free haven and you will find tax-free on arrival at every entry point, be it by land, sea or air.

You should also bear in mind the duty free and tax-free allowances and limits for your return journey to your home country as that gift purchase could cost you a great deal in tax if you are over the Customs limit when you return home. But, this can be avoided in some territories such as US Protectorates, where it is permissible to have some gift purchases mailed home. For other countries, you need to check the limits for your home territory.

All the major brands are represented, especially in airports, on cruise ships and at port stores. On airlines, the selection is limited and often the products are more of the “costume” or “fashion” variety, than high-end luxury.

Swarovski, Bvlgari, Tiffany & Co, Chopard, Colombian Emeralds and Pandora are the best represented brands in the duty free market, followed by the more “designer” brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Miriam Salat, Paloma Picasso, Diesel, Fossil and Guess.

The best advice we can give you in relation to the purchase of jewelry on your travels is to do your research in advance of your trip, compare prices (where possible) by searching your destination pages on this website and ensure you know the Customs limits for your return journey.

As a footnote, many manufacturers advertise their products online as 'duty free prices', but this is not strictly true in the sense that their sales are actually tax-free. Often, these online retailers can sell at prices below those of the physical stores you find on your travels because they do not have the high rental costs paid by duty free concessionaires.

So, the best deal is down to your personal taste, your budget and the quality of your pre-travel research.