How to Protect Your Luxury Watch Collection During Travel
Travelling with luxury watches requires extra care and attention. Whether you’re heading out for a b...
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For many of us, jewellery is our most valuable possession — not just in terms of its sentimental value, but often its financial value.
Whether your engagement ring is an heirloom that’s been passed down through generations in your family or a designer ring that cost three months (or more) of your salary, loss or damage isn’t something you want to be faced with.
General Tips
Let’s start with some general advice and then we will get to the potential problems.
Diamonds
Gold
Sterling Silver
Hairspray and spray perfume can destroy certain gemstones, especially opals and pearls. Both are porous, meaning they will easily absorb this chemical and will lose their colour and lustre.
Using a pin or a sharp object to get the dirt from behind the stone can sometimes force a stone to move which could lead to it being dislodged and lost if it suffered a hit.
We have heard the stories of stones being swapped when jewellery was taken to jewellers. This is probably the most unlikely thing to happen, and if you felt uncomfortable with a jeweller, don't leave your jewellery with them. It is highly unlikely any reputable jeweller would ever risk their reputation, but if you wanted to be extra careful with a very valuable item, you could ask the jeweller to do two things with you before you leave it with them.
The first is if they can look at the stone with an eyeglass and see if there are any unique marks in the stone or on its surface. It could even be a scratch only visible under an eyeglass. Showing you this mark means that when you pick it up the jewellery he or she can point it out to you again on collection, so you know it's your stone. The second thing is if you have a diamond certificate that you got with the original ring , bring it with you to the jeweller and ask them to copy down on your receipt the specifications of the diamond as per the certificate so there is no “gray area” as to what you dropped off to be cleaned.
Sometimes people want to clean their chains and buff them with a cloth. The danger here is that the links in the chain can be put under extreme strain as you may not realise how much pressure you are applying to the chain, due to lack of experience, which could lead to a chain or bracelet snapping, or severely weakening the item. A slight tug from a caught piece of clothing and you lose it without even knowing it's fallen on the floor.
DO read the labels on engagement ring cleaning chemicals and other supplies – what is safe for one kind of jewellery may still damage another.
DO use warm water, mild dishwashing soap, and a soft-bristled brush and cloth. Soak your ring in water with a little mild liquid soap, then gently brush above and below the gemstones. Dab it dry with the soft cloth.
DO insure your jewellery with Q Report Jewellery Insurance to ensure peace of mind — you’ll be protected if any of the worst case scenarios above occur!
If you’re looking for a way to keep your jewellery safe, Q Report’s comprehensive, tailored jewellery insurance might be right for you. Find out more here.
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This has not taken cut, colour, clarity or carat, your financial situation or your partners taste into account. There are many factors that can reduce or increase the value of an engagement ring.
Speak with one of our Q Certified Jewellers to find out what you can afford, what your partner is looking for and what will financially work best for you.
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