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Back to Basics: Traveling With Your Jewels

by Mary Jo Manzanares on October 28th, 2007

Jewelry can make an outfit, no doubt about it.  But when your traveling, bringing your precious jewelry along means giving a lot of thought to keeping it safe.

My first recommendation is simple:  leave the good stuff at home.  Whether it’s expensive gold and stones, or heirloom pieces, there are too many risks of it going missing:  losing it, having it stolen from a hotel room, or becoming a target for muggers by flaunting a little too much bling.  When traveling in parts of the world where the cost of those diamond earrings would feed a family for five years, I think it shows an incredible lack of sensitivity and consideration to flash your jewels.  Don’t get me wrong — I love the good stuff — I just leave it at home when I’m traveling.

Wear your costume jewelry:  Whether is faux jewels or just nice looking costume jewelry, pack the stuff that won’t have you slitting your wrist if it goes missing.  There’s some nice stuff out there, and you can wear it without the worry of anything happening.

If you must bring the good stuff when you are traveling, limit it to the absolute minimum that you need to have.  Don’t bring the entire contents of your jewelry box, but carefully pare down to just the piece(s) you’ll need.  If you’re not wearing it while you travel, pack it safely and keep it in your purse or carry on bag.  DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, send your good jewelry in your checked luggage.

Don’t leave your jewelry laying about in your hotel room.  I’ve been guilty of laying a pair of earrings on a desk.  After accidentally brushing them onto the floor, I had to spend hours on my hands and knees trying to find them.  Keep loose things from rolling around by placing them in a appropriate container.  This hold true for all jewelry, not just the good stuff.

When you’re not wearing your good jewelry, keep it in the hotel safe rather than hiding it in your hotel room.  Most hotels have in-room safes, and that is the minimum level of security to consider.  Better yet is to ask for a safety deposit box at the front desk.  Many hotels have these, and although it’s an extra step to retrieve your things, it’s better than risking them going missing.

If there is no in-room safe, or safe deposit box option, and you don’t want to wear the jewelry, you have a dilemma.  You can choose to carry your jewelry with you, keeping it in a safe place so that it doesn’t get tossed out or lost.  Or, you can hide it some place in your room.  Both of these options have serious risks, so choose responsibly based on your situation.

If you’re jewelry has just as many frequent miles as you do, make sure that you are adequately insured.  Even if you have homeowner’s insurance, most jewelry requires a separate rider if the piece is of significant value.  Check with your insurance company to get a policy that best meets your needs.

And again, the best way to keep your jewels safe while you’re traveling, is to leave them at home!

Photo credit:  flickr

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