And I’m still married to the guy who gave me this jewelry-so there Kim K.
So here’s the deal. Common travel advice is to leave your “good” jewelry at home and wear “resort” pieces.
Um, hells no.
I waited my entire life to get good jewelry and I’m going to wear it, here, there and everywhere.
Do I worry about it falling off or getting stolen? Well, yes. That’s why I have it insured. I can literally take it off and leave it in the locker room. Covered. Falls off surfing. Covered. You get the idea. Now I don’t wear my expensive jewelry when I travel to the developing world. I’m very sensitive to being appropriate. I don’t worry that anyone is going to steal it from me, I’m worried about looking like a jerk.
So here are my best tips for traveling with your jewelry. Whether your good stuff is from the mall or from Fred Leighton, life is short ladies, where it while you can.
1. Buy a good jewelry roll or case that separates all of your pieces. You cannot put more than one necklace in a compartment. Trust me here. Also, do not be tempted to toss it on all in one cute little bag, you will spend your entire vacation detangling it. My jeweler gave me a great tip, get little ziplocs and leave one piece of the chain just tucking out, it’s how they transport jewelry from store to store.
2. KEEP IT WITH YOU. Do not, under any circumstances, put it in your luggage, carry on or otherwise. There is always the chance that you will be the unlucky chump who gets told that your “bag needs to be gate checked as we are out of overhead space”. Keep your jewelry roll inside your purse, I carry a large shopping tote style bag (Louis Vuitton Never Full) and my jewelry goes at the very bottom.
3. Use the safe when you get to the hotel. I have heard horror stories at even the nicest hotels. It’s what the safe is for. You can even feel very Grace Kelly and use the front desk safe, I like to do that in fancy hotels and use an affected voice when I ask for my “box of heirloom jewels”.
4. Insure it! Every piece of jewelry I own is insured. I have only had to make one claim in 16 years. Our very first au pair helped herself to the tennis bracelet Jeff gave me at the birth of our daughter. She then snuck out the window in the night. I know, right. However I was fully covered and got a new bracelet. There is no worse feeling than reaching up to your ears to realize only one diamond stud is there or looking on the nightstand for the watch you left when you went swimming, and it’s gone. I have everything I own covered but you can do one piece at a time, say just insure your engagement ring or the earrings your grandmother gave you. Jeweler’s Mutual Insurance Company is sponsoring this post, but as you know, I only write about things I have a passion for. Jewelry is one of them. Go to TreasureTheVacation.com to get a quote for covering any or all of your jewelry. You can go with no deductible, there are no limits, and they even cover such obscure losses as loose stones.
5. Keep good records on your jewelry. Know what you have, photograph it, and have it appraised on occasion. Also, have it checked for loose stones, nothing lasts forever, especially ring settings on moms who are also handymen, baseball catchers and occasional plumbers.
This post is sponsored by Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. While I’m not currently insured by Jewelers Mutual’s Perfect Circle Jewelry Insurance, This policy looks to be fabulous, affordable and has a robust amount of coverage for jewelry insurance.
Also, in case you are wondering, the glamour beach shots were all courtesy of Andy Mann at Brilliant Studios in Turks and Caicos.