Why Should I Get Jewelry Insurance?
In our industry, unfortunately, it happens many times per year. A client calls stating that they have lost a nice piece of jewelry, or worst yet, that their home was broken in to and their entire collection was stolen. In many of these cases, they find out too late that their homeowners’ insurance has very little jewelry coverage. There have also been stories that the coverage was there, but that the insurance company doesn’t pay for items that have been misplaced, only pieces that have been lost through a criminal event.
How Do I Insure My Jewelry?
The best place to start is to have a meeting with your insurance agent and get a clear picture of your jewelry coverage. Ask your insurance agent the following questions:
- How much coverage do I have?
- What do I need to do to increase this amount so that all of my jewelry is covered?
- Do I need appraisals on all of my jewelry or just pieces above a certain dollar value?
- Which ‘risks’ are covered? (theft, mysterious disappearance, damage etc.)
- If I lose one earring, would that be covered?
- Does it cover when a diamond is lost from the mounting?
- Does it cover if a diamond is chipped?
The Importance of Appraisal
We highly recommend having a detailed appraisal done on your most important pieces prior to insuring them. This appraisal should list all the details relating to your piece, the number and size of each gemstone with a quality grade, metals, design etc. The appraisal should include a conservative estimate of the value of each piece since most likely your insurance premium will be based on these replacement costs.
While it might seem expensive up front having each piece appraised, the details on the paperwork will assure you that in the event of a loss, your replacement jewelry will be the same quality as the piece you originally owned. For example, if you were to lose a one carat diamond with no appraisal stating its color and clarity and it was replaced with a diamond just one color and clarity grade lower, the new gemstone could be worth thousands less than your original one.
Jewelry Insurance Options
If after meeting with your insurance agent you’re not satisfied with the coverage offered by your homeowners’ policy consider a company called Jewelers Mutual. Their ONLY business is insuring jewelry through personal jewelry insurance and ensuring the entire inventory of jewelry stores. Over the years Brittany’s Fine Jewelry have assisted them many times in the replacement and/or repair of a client’s jewelry and each time the customer has been 100% satisfied.
Jewelers Mutual offers an “all risk” policy, so no matter how your jewelry was lost or damaged, it will be covered by them. Jewelers Mutual even covers some routine jewelry repairs as a preventive measure. You can contact them on the web at www.jewelersmutual.com or via phone 1-800-558-6411.
Contact Brittany’s Fine Jewelry for Questions
If you have questions regarding jewelry insurance or need an appraisal, call Brittany’s Fine Jewelry in Gainesville, FL. We can help guide you through the insurance decision-making process as well as provide a professional appraisal of your jewelry.
Disclaimer: It is important to me for you to know that I write here from my experience in the jewelry industry and cases that I recall from that perspective. It is not my intent to offer insurance advice because that is not my field and I leave that up to the professionals that excel there.