Whether it be a European holiday, a trip in South America or a cruise to some exotic island in the South Pacific, many women worry about is loosing their diamond jewelery while abroad. It is important to take extra precautions and learn about some ways how to prevent loss or theft before it happens.
Diamond Jewelery On Vacations: Theft
One of the best ways to ease one’s mind while traveling is to leave all diamond jewelery at home in a safe and secure place. Tourist theft is common in many countries and unfortunately there are some who fall prey to pickpockets, hotel robberies, and even muggings each year. Diamonds, while beautiful, tend to attract a lot of attention–especially in countries when tourists stand out and appear to be wealthy. This creates easy targets for thieves, since locals can spot foreigners easily in some countries. Some have reported theft from hotels, while others have had jewellery stolen from luggage in the airport. Unfortunately, there are also stories of tourists getting mugged (both at night and in broad daylight) in some countries. Leaving jewellery at home when traveling can save not only thousands of dollars in potential loss, but also enables one to travel with peace of mind and hopefully have a stress-free, relaxing holiday.
Diamond Jewellery and Travel: Loss
Many women take of their rings while washing their hands in hotels, restaurants and airports and accidentally forget them on the sink. Other times, when swimming at either a beach or hotel, rings can slip off in the water unnoticed and some may take off their wedding rings when applying sun tan lotion to avoid the thick buildup it creates around the prongs and on the stones. As well, when on holiday one is potentially more absent-minded than normal due to hurried travel schedules, drinking and even being more relaxed than usual.
Diamond Jewelery and Travel: Damage
Travel can take its toll on engagement rings. Damage and stone loss most frequently occurs when handling luggage, since it requires constant handling, lifting, pulling and shifting. Lifting the bags in and out of a trunk or overhead bin, onto the counter for weighing, or picking them up from the baggage claim can easily cause prongs to bend enough to lose grip on diamonds.
Tips for Traveling and Diamond Jewelery
With the expense and emotional attachment to jewelery, it is recommended to play it safe when traveling. Here are a few tips from the experts that may help before heading off on holiday:
- Leave your diamond jewellery at home in a safe or in a bank’s safe deposit box.
- Buy an imitation diamond ring, necklace or earrings if you still want the beautiful look without the expense or emotional attachment.
- Avoid wearing diamonds or anything that may look like diamonds altogether if traveling in countries with known theft problems.
- Determine what jewellery you will be realistically wearing for the duration of the trip. Your finest two or three carat anniversary ring may not be necessary, but a simple band could be a good alternate option.
- Keep your jewellery in carry-on luggage and never check it. Airlines may not hold themselves responsible for loss or theft of certain items.
- Never leave personal luggage unattended and keep a firm grip and eye on your purse or bag carrying any valuables.
- Make sure all of your jewellery is insured. Take pictures or video of all your valuables for insurance purposes and consider getting it appraised if not done previously. Many home insurance policies cover jewelery, but check your policy to ensure it covers travel loss, theft or damage.
