Skagway jewelry guide

Cruise ship passengers love Skagway jewelry. Look at them go!

To sustain life, some things are essential. For example, we need food to eat every day. Without food, we would wither and die. Now consider the fact that there are more than a dozen jewelry stores for every grocery store in Skagway, and you will quickly ascertain that humans need jewelry to live. To better understand this complex tourism industry, we created this handy Skagway jewelry guide.

Tanzanite, Klondike Gold, and Free Train Charms. Oh My!

When you first walk into one of Skagway’s many jewelry stores, you will notice that the people are well dressed, very professional, and smell like they were doused in the finest of perfumes. This is unlike most other Alaskans, who are often grungy and smell of wild meats. Skagway jewelry store owners maintain a professional image because jewelry is a fine retail product. If you’re shelling out a pile of cash for a diamond ring, you want to give that money to someone who looks like they aren’t ripping you off.

No matter what you’re buying from a retail store, you should always make sure you’re getting what you pay for. You will notice that Skagway jewelry stores sell tanzanite, Klondike gold, and some other stones that you may never have heard of. Many Skagway jewelry stores advertise on the cruise ships, which may be an indicator that they have a large advertising budget. They offer “free” items like train charms, which is a clever way to get you in the store. Always remember, nothing is truly free.

Let’s take a look at some of the more common Skagway jewelry store offerings.

Klondike Gold – The real deal

Klondike gold is gold that comes directly from the Klondike. It’s the stuff of legend that set off the Klondike Gold Rush stampede of 1898. You will find that many stores in Skagway sell Klondike gold in various forms like nuggets or mixed in with quartz. Gold from different regions are different colors and Klondike gold is considered one of the most beautiful and rich. If you want to buy something unique to this region, find a Skagway jewelry store selling items made with authentic Klondike gold.

Tanzanite – The other deal

Tanzanite is actually “blue-violet zoisite.” The name “tanzanite” was entirely made up by the marketing team at Tiffany & Company who understand that consumers will shell out more money for something with a fancy sounding name. They also believed that the word “zoisite” sounded too much like “suicide” because of course they did. Tanzanite was first discovered in 1967 and went on the market in 1968 because Tiffany and Co don’t play around.

Tanzanite comes from only one place in the world (for now), a small mine in Tanzania. That’s a country in Africa, which is 8,727 miles from Skagway. Tanzanite is a relatively hard stone, so it is very durable, and nobody will argue that it is quite lovely. Still, it has nothing to do with Skagway or Alaska, so if you want a souvenir unique to the area, tanzanite is a poor choice.

Make sure you know what you’re getting

Sadly, there are many disreputable businesses in the world today, so you need to protect yourself as a consumer. If you’re considering a purchase in a Skagway jewelry store, you need to educate yourself on the product so you don’t get taken to the cleaners. This is especially true if you’re buying a diamond or some other gemstone that could be misrepresented in some way. Remember, just because a Skagway jewelry salesperson is dressed in a tie and smells like a cologne factory does not mean that they’re honest.

We recommend seeking out locally-owned Skagway jewelry stores like The Local Jeweler. Or just buy a gold nugget from the Klondike and leave it at that. Always remember that during the Gold Rush, far more people made money fleecing stampeders than finding gold. Also remember, that people never change.