Get Inlaid on Your Next Vacation
| Think you can’t afford a 45 carat diamond for yourself or your honey this Valentine’s Day? Think again. Kayak.com makes it possible through the gift of travel. So, throw away that Zales’ catalog and put a little bling in your next vacation with a trip to one of these gems of a destination. And, don’t forget to pack the 4 Cs for your Valentine’s vacation: clothes, credit card, camera and C batteries for your Rabbit. |
| Perth flights | hotels | forums Sure, Australia is known for their crocs but who knew about their rocks? The Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia is the world’s largest supplier of diamonds, currently producing around 25% of the annual global diamond output or about 30 million carats each year. The mine specializes in colored diamonds including the extremely rare and valuable pink diamonds (such as the one Ben gave Jen Part 1). Tours include the processing plant for a demonstration on extraction, pre-cutting and polishing stages and the Diamond Viewing Room where rough and polished diamonds are displayed. |
| Bangkok flights | hotels | forums Saw “Blood Diamond” and already know more about gem mining than you care to? Then skip the educational mine tour and hit Bangkok’s sprawling Gems & Jewelry Fair. Thailand is a major world gem trading center with more than 1,000 exhibitors selling precious and semi-precious gems and crystals for wholesale prices. When buying from local jewelers, look for the Jewel Fest Club logo to ensure ethical practices. We’d hate for you to purchase an emerald ring only to discover it’s made of semi-precious Heineken bottle. |
| New York flights | hotels | forums No time for a trip to Asia? How about breakfast at Tiffany’s? While you can’t mine for gems in New York City (breaking into Park Avenue apartments aside), you can purchase gems (both legal and not-so-legal) at any price. Spend top dollar and shop among the rich and famous at high-end Fifth Avenue retailers Tiffany & Co and Harry Winston. Not a bazillionaire? Real people can find a sweet deal–sometimes better than wholesale–by visiting the dealers in the Diamond District on 47th Street. Of course, for the city’s lowest prices, be on the lookout for those guys offering bargain base basement prices from under a trench coat but beware of the trench coat offering only a look at the family jewels. |
| Washington flights | hotels | forums If you’re a US citizen, you already own one of the largest diamonds in the world. In 1958, jeweler Harry Winston donated the Hope Diamond, the world’s largest and most perfect blue diamond (it weighs 45.52 carats) to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History so it belongs to the people of the United States. Unlike J Lo at the Oscars, you can’t borrow this piece for the night but you can view your co-op gem (and 3,500 others) at the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals. And for you bargain hunters, the Smithsonian is free to all visitors. |
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| Diamonds are a girl’s best friend but our worst nightmare,Steve and Paul, Kayak.com co-founders |
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| Can’t find a price that fits your budget? Kayak will track fares for a city pair and alert you via email when the fare meets or beats your desired price. In fact, we are the only travel search engine to offer Fare Alerts. To track a fare, click on the “Fare Alert” link on the top right corner of the results page. Specify travel month, max price, currency and frequency of notification emails. Kayak will only send you an email when the fare meets or beats your specified price. |