I never thought about jewellery insurance—like ever. I figured, “Hey, if I lose a ring, I’ll just be extra sad, that’s all.” But then my sister’s engagement ring vanished off her bathroom sink, just poof, and yeah… she cried for a week. That’s when I started lookin’ into it.
Okay, so, what is jewellery insurance anyway? Basically, it’s like this special kind of protection for stuff like rings, necklaces, watches… you name it. You can add it onto your home insurance (they call it a rider, which is funny to me for some reason), or get a whole separate policy for just your bling.
There’s this thing—most homeowners policies don’t actually cover jewellery properly. Like, yeah, they kinda do, but not much. If you get robbed or something, your policy might cap coverage at like two grand? That’s barely covering a nice gold chain these days, let alone a diamond.
Some people think it’s not necessary, but… it is. I mean, would you walk around with a $10k Rolex and no protection? Nah. That’s just dumb. I learned the hard way, but at least I learned.
So insurance for jewellery? It usually covers:
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Loss (like if your bracelet fell off and disappeared into the grocery store parking lot)
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Theft (obvious one, yeah)
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Damage (like the time I cracked a stone while slamming a drawer)
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And, I think the most sneaky one—“mysterious disappearance.” Which is just fancy for “I have no clue where it went.”
There’s exclusions too. Like, don’t expect it to pay if your diamond fades over time (they don’t, but still), or if your dog chews on your pearl necklace. They don’t cover wear and tear usually. I checked.
Price-wise, it ain’t bad. Most times it’s like 1-2% of the item’s value yearly. I pay around $85 a year for my stuff. Worth every penny, honestly. That’s like… less than what I spend on coffee in two months, and this protects stuff I’d cry over if it vanished.
Now before you get the insurance, you’ll need an appraisal. That means someone with a loupe (those tiny magnifying things) checks out your item and tells you what it’s worth. Also, keep your receipts if you can. If not, photos help. I took pictures of everything—just in case.
Oh, and I made the mistake of assuming the jeweller’s warranty was enough. Spoiler alert: it’s not. They’ll fix loose prongs and polish things, but they ain’t payin’ if you lose the ring down the sink. Don’t mix those up.
Filing a claim’s not too crazy. You call them (or email, whatever), send over proof, maybe a police report if it’s theft, and boom—you wait. Sometimes they let you replace it at your fave jeweler. Other times, they write you a check. Depends on the company.
One thing tho: read the dang fine print. Like, all of it. I almost missed a clause about how my policy wouldn’t pay out unless I updated my appraisal every 3 years. That could’ve sucked real bad.
Also, small tip? If you travel a lot, check if the policy covers international loss. Some do. Mine does. I lost an earring in Italy once and they covered it. Thought it was too good to be true.
So yeah. TL;DR: If you wear or own expensive jewellery, don’t be dumb like I was. Get insurance. It’s cheap, easy, and you’ll sleep better at night not wonderin’ if your ring is still gonna be there in the morning.
Some folks don’t wanna pay for “what-ifs,” but honestly? Life’s full of what-ifs. And jewellery insurance? It’s one of those things where you’ll be super glad you have it… when you need it most.