The "Queen Of Diamonds" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in the lobby of one of the several Diamonds International stores on Front Street in Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side of Sint Maarten.  The day started as a beach day, but in no time the clouds moved in and the rain began to fall.  Since we had very few days remaining in our yearly trek to paradise, we decided to make one last trip to Philipsburg to find a gift for our grandson and to get something for Carol to take to work with her to share the flavors of the island with her co-workers.  Took the island tour from our villa in Orient through Marigot, the capital of the French side, towards Cole Bay and across the new swing bridge towards the airport then across the Simpson Bay Drawbridge and finally winding our way into Philipsburg.  After wandering the entire deserted boardwalk we headed to Front Street where stores selling duty-free and tax-free items abound. After passing the Courthouse we stopped to check the time and decide where we wanted to have lunch.    The weather on this side of the island was slightly different than the French side with the sun shining brightly and the humidity much higher.

Facebook page photo of Diamonds International in Sint Maarten.

 We stepped under an awning and felt the cooling air of the Diamonds Inter- national store we were standing in front of at the time.  Carol said, "I wonder if this is the Diamonds International store where Hilary works.  You know, the girl who was looking for a rental place with her new husband, since she had just gotten a job with Diamonds International."  Oh yeah, I did remember that episode on House Hunters International from maybe a year of two ago.  We try and record all the episodes from islands where we have visited or plan to visit so we can enjoy the islands once again, even though it may be snowing outside at the time.  Well, we walked in and were instantly confronted by one of their sales reps.  After listening to his spiel about the newest Australian Opal rings and earrings, Carol asked him, "Is this the store where Hilary works?  The girl that was featured on TV."  

Hilary and Carol pose inside the Diamonds Internaional store.

Off he went and in a minute her comes this girl walking towards us.  "Hello, I'm Hilary!" she said to us.  She looked exactly as I had pictured her from watching the show.  She and her husband Shawn Grant were featured trying to find a rental place with a $2,900 budget.  She wanted something near her work while Shawn really didn't care, since he is a software designer and was planning on working from home.  Three houses were featured, one at the Blue Mall Residences, one at Beacon Hill and one at the Simpson Bay Yacht Club area  and they finally chose the place closest to her work, Simpson Bay.  We asked her about the show and she said it took four days to film the 21 1/2 minutes that were used.  At the time she and Shawn had only been married 3 weeks.  That was 1 1/2 years ago now and she now trains sales people for the company.  Carol and her hit it off right away and they talked about a variety of different things from her family in California to her being Miss California International.  We found out that fact when Carol said, "You know, I have watched that episode many times and could never figure out what the pendant was that you were wearing."  She told Carol it was a crown that was given to her by one of the pageant sponsors.  At that time she talked with the sponsor about jobs in the jewelry business.  She then changed her major in college to study gemology and became a gemologist.  She was then offered a job with Diamonds International with the chance to move to the island of Sint Maarten.  Hilary and Shawn love the island and are going to start looking for a permanent home soon.  Also read online that Hilary is now the Regional Training Manager and recently attended the National Asso. of Jewelry Appraisers Conference where she gave a two hour presentation about the "Crown of Light."  It was so nice of Hilary to take the time to meet us and tell us about her experiences on the show as well as life on the island we love so much.  A great young woman who is making a name for herself in the industry that has store after store on Front Street in Philipsburg.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - You can catch a repeat of this episode of House Hunters International on June 15th at 7:30 PM.