Here’s a mistake I see made all too often in weddings: you spend so much time and effort trying to pull off the impossible feat of planning a huge event, that when it’s over your brain kind of melts and goes This thing has taken the last of my energy. I have nothing left. I am going to lie on the floor for six months. Don’t call, don’t write. Which is how people like me end up taking six years to create a wedding album, never back up their wedding photos to the cloud, and forget to buy jewelry insurance. But y’all, don’t be like me. Back up your photos. Print them out. Buy a fireproof box for anything super important to you (and put your marriage license inside it). And insure your jewelry.
Did you hear me? INSURE YOUR JEWELRY.
The APW staff has a vast and impressive catalog of jewelry mishaps between us. There’s Meg, whose engagement ring was stolen when her house was robbed a few years back. Then there’s Keriann, who thought she was getting an affordable diamond wedding band from Etsy, but instead got a lemon that has been damaged beyond repair. And there’s me. I’ve practically made it a hobby leaving my rings in precarious locations at friend’s houses (often within arm’s reach of a curious toddler) and occasionally even in the center console of my car. Overnight. 😨 Translation: We cannot be trusted.
While the wedding industry loves to tell us that we only have one chance to get things right or we’ll regret it for-e-ver (dun, dun, dun), jewelry is actually kind of the opposite. You’ve got a lifetime with it (more if you plan on handing things down to future generations). So maybe it’s not actually that the APW staff is particularly irresponsible (excluding me, I have no excuse). Maybe it’s just that a lifetime gives ample opportunity for Murphy’s Law to take effect. Which is why today we’ve partnered up with Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group to help you figure out if you’re the kind of person whose future self will thank you for unmelting your brain now and taking care of business.
Are you good at taking care of your stuff?
As the resident hot mess here, this is the big one for me. Because while jewelry might be covered under a normal renters or homeowners insurance policy (up to a certain limit, but we’ll get into that in a minute), the truth is, you might not be covered against your own worst enemy: you. Jewelers Mutual®, on the other hand, considers all your worst habits, and makes sure you’re covered. Here’s what they offer:
- Loss: You left your ring somewhere—maybe on your friend’s coffee table or in the center console of your car. (IT HAPPENS.) You can’t find it, and it’s probably your fault.
- Theft: We all know that horrific feeling of when something important to you gets stolen. Meg assures us that feeling keeps you up at night when it involves your engagement ring. But what you don’t want is that feeling, coupled with the newfound knowledge that the insurance you thought covered your ring didn’t, and now you can’t replace it. Luckily, Jewelers Mutual has your back there too.
- Damage: You hit your diamond ring on the edge of a table and it cracks (hello yes, that’d be me!), or you’re pulling on a sweater and a prong is bent. Accidents happen. They’ll cover that.
- Mysterious Disappearance: Sometimes jewelry just disappears—it could be lost, stolen, or hanging out in a drainpipe somewhere. You may not be able to explain how it got into that drainpipe (Maddie), but that’s okay, because it’s covered.
And as a bonus, with Jewelers Mutual, you also get travel coverage worldwide, no matter where you go with your jewelry (just in case you decide to leave your ring in the center console of a car in Europe!), an optional $0 deductible, and a guarantee that if you need your jewelry repaired or replaced, Jewelers Mutual will do everything in their power to repair or replace your jewelry with something that is indistinguishable from the original (particularly useful if you have a unique ring or a stone that’s hard to replicate).
Are you actually covered?
So right now you may be thinking, “Girl, my ring is already covered under my renters insurance. I’m GOOD.” And you might be right! But do yourself a favor and make sure your current policy actually covers your ring. (The maximum jewelry coverage on most standard renters or homeowners insurance policies is usually $1,000 to $1,500.) Other things to consider include:
- Is your renters or homeowners provider easy to work with?
- Will a jewelry claim incur a deductible or cause an increase in your rates?
- Will you be covered even if it’s your fault?
The nice thing about working with a company like Jewelers Mutual is that they don’t make you jump through hoops if something happens. And since all they ever deal with is jewelry, they usually have special caveats in their policies for when the loss or damage is your fault (hi, it me) or when your jewelry is difficult to replace.
I know it’s hard to think of doing even one more thing when you’re finally off the tilt-a-whirl of wedding planning. But the good news is, getting a quote with Jewelers Mutual will take less time than you spent reading this post.
And seriously? Future you, who was like “Wait but what do you mean that it’s not covered when I left my ring in a bathroom in a bar in Lisbon? I was jet lagged and my toddler wouldn’t stop yelling!” will thank you. Trust me on this one.
This post was sponsored by Jewelers Mutual. For over 100 years, Jewelers Mutual has specialized in protecting jewelry and only jewelry. Jewelers Mutual believes that your insurance should be built around the way you live your life, with comprehensive coverage, worldwide protection that allows you to travel and stay covered, flexibility to work with your own jeweler, personal assistance when you need it, and a fast, professional, compassionate claim experience. Click here to get an instant, no-obligation quote for jewelry insurance from Jewelers Mutual.
