Jewelry Stores

For Paris..We found a wonderful, tiny jewelry store on Ile Saint Louis, at the eastern end, past all the tourist shops - next to 27 rue Saint Louis en L'Ile - called Blazon. A wonderful Irishman and his Norwegian wife own it, they have a small selection but the prices are very good. I bought myself a solid 18k gold ring, a Cartier design, for a very good price and it's one of the best souvenirs I've ever bought.

Blazon will be closed though until the second week of Sept.

Steve: why link to what appears to be the results of a simple web search without offering advice based on personal experience?

Another good place I found for jewelry in Paris is the gift shop at the Louvre. They have some very nice jewelry for a good price.

Considering the OP asked for places for jewelry that wouldn't be very expensive, providing an internet link to diamonds in Amsterdam seems a bit bizarre.

If you like antique jewelry, you might want to go to some flea markets.

As Susan noted, many museums will have gift shops offering interesting jewelry, or even the higher quality souvenir stores may have something that will catch your eye. I think I would just look around as you stroll through the cities.

Good idea, Ed, and MD - I have had NO trouble finding silver charms (and gold, but too $$ for me). I did have to wait until Florence to get that silver Colosseum, though... Try street vendors, the cheapest souvenir stands/shops, nice jewelry stores, you'll see them everywhere when you start looking for them!

Also, my dearest jewelry from anywhere is silver jewelry from those same street vendors - lots of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings. You may get the impression that they sell cheap junk, but like here at home, you can usually tell after handling a piece.

All of the places you're going will offer many opportunities. Just keep your eye out for street vendors in plazas/squares, little boutique shops along your way, and if you see something you like, BUY IT THEN! It may not be there 'on the way home', 'tomorrow',...Resist the urge to do too much comparison price shopping, either before or after! (unless it's expensive) You're on vacation; no buyer's remorse allowed!

There is a chain of jewellery stores in Paris called Agatha .. we even have one in Montreal ... and I have always liked the look of what is in their windows. Have a look for yourself.

Maybe I'm being too obvious with my suggestion, but have you considered a charm bracelet with an item from each country/city you visit? Back in the '60's, my mom started collecting higher-end, quality charms from places she would take us to. She'd bring them home and have a jeweler mount them for her. Eighty-some charms on a couple of bracelets later, she's amassed a great conversation piece. By far not the most expensive item in her jewelry collection, but I'd venture to guess they're probably amongst the most treasured. Have a great time MD!

Ed, I had thought about that! Its a great idea, I'm just not sure that charms are as easy to come by anymore. I never see them, but then again, I'm not really looking here. My mom had one back when she was first married and I always liked it.

"not a fortune" means that I'm not really looking for high-end jewelry, like diamonds and solid gold. I'm looking for something that is a bit more interesting than something I could get just as easily at a mall here in North America.

I love jewellery and try and do what you are doing when I travel. Try and find out where the local up-and-coming designers sell their wares. They will often be concentrated in one street, market or an arts centre. Also keep an eye out for whether any college or university is having an end of course show for their graduates. You can stumble on some amazing pieces that aren't hugely expensive. I usually ask tourist information for advice.