About Us

In July 1978 I departed New York for my first gem buying trip to Brazil and landed in Rio de Janeiro. I found the Brazilians to be a very gracious people and the mining areas of Governador Valadares, Teofilo Otoni and Ouro Preto amazing in the amount and quality of the gemstones produced.  I learned three important things from my first trip: rent a car in Rio and don’t ride the “chicken bus”; drink only bottled water; and buy stones only from reputable dealers or a gem shop. After two weeks traveling through the various mining areas of Brazil, I knew I was hooked and that this was the beginning of a life journey.  I returned to New York and subsequently started Amazon Imports.

Over the almost 40 years since my first trip you can learn quite a bit about gemstones and people if you are open to gathering information.  Many of the aspects of the gem business have changed over that period, yet the key principle remains the same - try to get the best stone for the amount of money being spent.

I still put in the same amount of time, effort, and energy in selecting each individual gemstone and piece of jewelry as I did in 1978. Our company’s philosophy has been and continues to be “to sell our customers the highest quality gemstones and jewelry at the most affordable prices.”  

Although the buying trips overseas are less frequent these days, we have established an excellent world wide syndicate of suppliers and contacts over the years that are still intact and operating at a high level.  This network, combined with over 35 years of being a front line gemstone buyer, enables our customers to benefit from our experience and receive greater value.   With the launching of our website, we can now pass along the savings and value to everyone, not just wholesalers and attendees at gem shows. 

Today Amazon Imports remains family owned and operated and continues to be committed as ever to its motto of “providing the highest quality gemstones and jewelry for the best price.”

Thank you and happy shopping,

Joe

 

Our Promise

We ONLY sell genuine gemstones and guarantee that our gemstones are accurately identified.   Should you ever receive a certified lab evaluation stating the gemstone you purchased from Amazon Imports is not authentic or different than the gemstone that was evaluated, Amazon Imports will replace the item at no cost to the customer and also reimburse you for the actual cost of the certified lab evaluation. Prior to shipping orders, Amazon Imports photographs and maintains a record of each item to verify authenticity of any claims made against our merchandise.

We have been members of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) since 1995 and adhere to their guidelines for colored gemstones and jewelry.