You have a stunning piece of jewelry, but the world is a scary place for such a fine item. You’ll want to make sure you are doing what you can to protect it so it can stay with you to the end of your days! Fine jewelry is built to last but it’s our lifestyles that can cause unnecessary wear and tear to occur faster. And never mind a little wear and tear, what if you lose your engagement ring or treasured item altogether?! We spoke with our Sales Manager, Justine, to get all the tips on how to make your jewelry last- we will address jewelry insurance policies as well as changing lifestyle habits to keep your jewelry as stunning as possible for the long term.
Get Your Jewelry Covered with Homeowners Insurance?
You’ll want to do some investigating into your insurance policy and what it covers! You may be able to add your engagement ring or other pieces of jewelry onto your homeowners or renters insurance. When you list an item that is over a certain amount (in most cases $2500+) you will need to pay a premium. Justine suggests getting a few quotes to weigh your options. You may want to opt for Jewelry Mutual instead of your homeowners policy. If your jewelry item is less than $2000-$2500 (dependent on your policy) you won’t need to pay a premium or list it and it will be covered!
Liane Nishimura, an agent with State Farm, gave us some information about coverage under a homeowners policy vs. a Personal Articles Floater (PAF). Their homeowners policy has a limit of $1500 for any one piece of jewelry and $2500 for all of your jewelry. Under this policy, your jewelry would be subject to the perils of a homeowners policy (fire, windstorm, theft, collapse, etc). Let‘s say your $1500 ring is stolen from you: theft is covered under your homeowners policy, so if your deductible is $500, State Farm would then pay $1000 (you would be responsible for the $500). However, if the stone fell out of your ring and can’t be found, it would not be covered under the homeowners insurance policy! If that same ring was itemized on a PAF it would be covered for anything that happens to it but also subject to the deductible of the PAF. State Farm usually puts a low deductible on a PAF or doesn't put a deductible at all. She added, “I tell all my customers to put those pieces most important to them on a PAF, that way anything that happens to them is covered.”
How to Prevent Losing Your Jewelry in the First Place
Your fine jewelry is meant to be worn daily and shown off wherever you go. What about when you are home though? Once you arrive home you are more likely to engage in the less exciting activities like dishes, cooking, and gardening- all of which could possibly damage your ring or cause it to become lost. We asked Justine what she does with her jewelry when she gets home and she said, “It’s the first thing to come off. And in the morning, it’s the last thing I put on.” She has a cute little jewelry box she puts everything in where it can be safe for the next day. We recommend a jewelry box because often you may take your rings off to do dishes or gardening, and then you are more likely to misplace them, or they could get knocked off whatever counter you placed them on.
How to Care for Your Jewelry
If you feel something catching on your ring then get your jewelry repaired sooner rather than later. Not addressing the issue in the moment could mean the difference between simply fixing an out of place prong, or losing your center stone and needing a whole new Lab Grown Diamond or Gemstone altogether. A few additional rules we would like to remind you of:
1. Don’t put hand sanitizer on your ring- it strips the gold making it appear dull.
2. If you have white gold- get a rhodium dip once a year to keep it looking fresh.
3. Don’t swim in chlorinated pools- it will wear away at the gold.
4. Don’t bring your jewelry to Zumba- whatever you’re doing at the gym is a risky opportunity for your Lab Grown Diamond or Gemstone to become loose. Leave your jewelry at home when you go to work out!
The excitement of having a gorgeous new engagement ring or fine jewelry item can cause us to forget the what-ifs of loss. Your jewelry is not only built to last, but over the years it increases in sentimental value. It can be heartbreaking to lose a piece of jewelry you’ve grown to love more over time, and that's precisely why we say to take all the precautions in preventing damage or loss, but also be prepared in the case of an unforeseen incident. We hope you learned some valuable information about how to protect your jewelry- feel free to reach out to us with any questions!
