Everything that Glitters is Gold

Gold in its purest form, 24-Karat, is a soft and pliable metal. The malleability and softness of pure gold make it virtually useless for wearable jewelry. In order to make gold jewelry that is durable and long lasting, it is combined with other metals called alloys. Jewelers use the technique of alloying with other metals such as silver, copper and zinc. This process makes the gold harder and stronger, giving it durability and wear resistance in day to day activities. In an attempt to achieve the best balance between the strength of alloys and the valuable and desirable properties of gold, three different karat gold combinations have become standard: 18-Karat, 14-Karat, and 10-Karat.

18-Karat Gold

The content of 18-Karat gold is 75% gold and 25% alloy. 18K gold is the softest and purest of these three karat golds, and it is also the most expensive because of its high gold content. Higher-end jewelry where a richer yellow color is desired is typically made in 18K gold. It is the most resistant to tarnishing of the three golds, and although it is the softest, it is still hard enough to be used for fine jewelry.18K gold will show wear marks sooner and wear out slightly faster than 14K and 10K gold , but it is still the preferred choice of those wanting something finer.

14-Karat Gold

The content of 14-Karat gold is 58.3% go

ld and 41.7% alloy. Due to the higher amount of alloy, 14K gold is therefore harder and stronger than 18K. It still has a good yellow color for those wanting fine jewelry at a more reasonable price.

10-Karat Gold

The content of 10-Karat gold is 41.7% gold and 58.3% alloy. 10K gold is the only karat gold that contains more alloy than gold. It is the least pure and therefore the least expensive of the three golds. 10K gold is the preferred metal for class rings and other jewelry pieces where a lower cost is desired. 10K yellow gold is slightly paler in color, and will tarnish more quickly than 18K and 14K gold jewelry. 10K gold is generally considered to be harder than 14K; but there is much unresolved discussion within the jewelry industry about whether or not it actually wears longer than 14K.

Many manufacturers are now using international gold marks to show the purity of their jewelry items. In these cases, the fineness of the precious metal content is expressed in parts-per-thousand. This marking system, universally recognized, is actually more accurate. We have listed the applicable marks here along with their corresponding karat marks:

• 24K = .999
• 18K = .750
• 14K = .585
• 10K = .417

Yellow Gold

Whereas most other pure metals are gray or silvery white, pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster that is traditionally considered attractive. High quality pure metallic gold is tasteless and scentless. Chemically, it is unaffected by air, moisture and most corrosive agents, and is therefore well suited for use in jewelry.

White Gold

White gold is not a true white metal like platinum, palladium or silver. It is made by alloying pure yellow gold with other white metals like zinc and nickel to change its color to white. As a result, it usually has a slight yellowish tint. To enhance the whiteness of white gold jewelry, it has become a standard practice in the jewelry industry to cover or plate with another precious metal called rhodium. Rhodium is very white and reflective. It is extremely hard and virtually tarnish-free. However, rhodium coatings wear off gradually. It can be re-plated with rhodium, sometimes as often as within 6 months for rings worn every day, or as seldom as every 5 years.

Pink and Rose Gold

These Karat golds are combined with high copper-content alloys and have similar properties. They were very popular in the latter half of the 19th century and the earlier part of the 20th century, and are now enjoying resurgence in popularity, especially with the introduction of colored diamonds. The high copper addition is usually at the expense of silver, giving a warm hue that compliments certain gemstones and skin tones.

Watches were first invented in Switzerland many centuries ago. Mechanical watches were the first to be invented, with automatic watches coming next in line. Today, both mechanical and automatic watches are still being used worldwide. It truly is a matter of personal preference as to which type of watch you decide to use.

Mechanical Watches

Mechanical watches were said to have been invented by Peter Henlein (1480-1542). The components of this type of watch are all mechanical. The number of parts varies, but usually it has about one hundred and thirty parts or more. Some mechanical watches record phases of the moon, keep a record of the date and record time on a daily basis.

Mechanical watches must be wound periodically to keep time. They use energy from a spring that has been wound. They keep time through a regulated release of energy through a set of gears. One winding can make a mechanical watch run from between forty hours to ten days, depending on the type of watch.

In order to keep a mechanical watch working for a long time, it needs to be serviced periodically. The rule of thumb to go by for servicing a mechanical watch is to have the water resistance checked every year and have the watch serviced about every three to five years.

Mechanical watches are known for their fine craftsmanship, aesthetics and tradition. This type of watch is made with wonderful precision by the craftsman who assembles the watch.

Automatic Watches

The original rotor that was used in automatic watches goes back to Abraham Louis-Perrelet (1729-1826). The modern rotor used in automatic watches was developed by Rolex. Emily Borer, the chief of Rolex at the time of its invention, is the one who is given credit for it.

In automatic watches, the movement of the wrist and body makes the rotor pivot freely. The action of the wrist, even slight action, causes the rotor to rotate back and forth in a circular motion. The mainspring is wound via the movement of the rotor, which in turn powers the watch. Automatic watches also need to be serviced regularly. They will re-lubricate the watch and check the seals on it. The seals should be checked every year. The automatic watch should be serviced every three to five years.

Just as people get mechanical watches for the tradition and craftsmanship people also get automatic watches for the same reasons.

Mechanical watches and automatic watches faded out when quartz watches came about. However, about ten years ago, both types of watches began to acquire popularity again especially among collectors.

The colors of the rainbow. The glow of the Northern Lights. The dramatic flash of summer lightning. All the light of the evening sky are captured in the mysterious, shifting hues of Opal.

With its pulsating display of fire and color, Opal was long thought to hold magical powers. Opals symbolized hope, innocence, and purity to the Greeks and Romans. Opals were often reserved for royalty. The crown of the Holy Roman Emperor held a superb example, a fiery red Opal called “The Burning of Troy”. This superb Opal was given as a gift from Napoleon to Josephine – forming part of the crown jewels of France. Queen Victoria of England also loved Opals, and often presented them as wedding gifts.

Opal is found in several different colors including: black Opal (pictured), whose blue, gray or black body color enhances the play of fire; white or fire Opal, with a lightish or white body color; and crystal Opal, a transparent version with bright color flashes. Boulder Opal has color flashes intertwined with rock matrix. Opals are not faceted but cut into rounded or free-form cabochons that enhance their play of color.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline comes in the widest variety of colors of any gemstone with green being the most well-known. Vivid reds, hot pinks, verdant greens and blues abound in this marvelous gem variety. Some are also called by individual names: chrome, rubellite, indicolite, or are called by the location from which they are mined such as, California, Maine, or Paraiba (Brazil). Tourmalines, because of their vivid, rich colors are often substituted for more expensive emeralds, sapphires and rubies.

Tourmalines occur in many forms as well: several faceted shapes, cabochons (domed), carvings, thin slices called Watermelon Tourmaline (in which the center is pink with an outer green edge), “parti-colored” (in which the cut gemstone transitions in color shades from two to several shades including, green, blue, colorless, and pink), and “cat’s eye”, in which a vertical line is centered in a dome-shaped stone, appearing as the eye of a cat.

Browse our large selection of gorgeous and affordable Opal & Tourmaline Jewelry at www.JRJewelers.com now!

Intense medium dark blue is the most sought after color for blue sapphires. Intensity, uniformity and purity of color are the most important considerations when making a decision about the purchase of a blue sapphire. Fine blue sapphires are extremely rare as they do not contain any overtones or secondary colors, for this will lessen the beauty of this gem. Dark blue sapphires will appear black under low light settings, while fine blue sapphires will maintain their color in any light setting. Blue sapphire jewelry remains one of most sought after jewelry types with rings, earrings, pendants and sapphire necklaces all making a beautiful addition to any jewelry collection.

But sapphires don’t only have to be blue in color to be beautiful. Sapphires also come in beautiful pink, yellow, orange, peach and violet colors. These other colors are often referred to as fancy sapphires. Sapphires are actually found in every color but red, because a red sapphire would be a ruby since both sapphires and rubies are made up of the mineral corundum.

Padparadscha Sapphires

The most sought-after color of fancy sapphire is the rare and beautiful padparadscha sapphire, a pink-orange stone with a distinctive salmon color similar to that of a tropical sunset. Found mostly in Sri Lanka, these ultra-rare and expensive stones are among the most coveted gems in the world. Padparadscha sapphires often draw higher prices than many of even the finest blue sapphires.

Pink Sapphires

Pink sapphires are a current fashion trend favorite. Jewelry designers are setting sapphires in bubblegum hues in platinum or white gold in exquisite styles adorned with pave diamonds. The deeper the pink color the more expensive and more valuable the sapphire is.

Star Sapphires

A star sapphire is a type of sapphire that exhibits a star-like phenomenon known as asterism. Star sapphires contain intersecting needle-like inclusions that cause the appearance of a six-rayed star-shaped pattern.

Color Change Sapphires

A rare variety of sapphire known as color change sapphire exhibits different colors in different light. Color change sapphires are blue in outdoor light and purple under indoor light; they may also be pink in daylight to greenish under fluorescent light.

White Sapphires

Sapphires are also available colorless. White sapphire is an excellent diamond substitute as it is brilliant and second only to diamond itself in hardness. Large white sapphires are rare.

Sapphire has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale and is also extremely tough. With hardness just below that of diamonds, sapphires are one of the toughest gemstones, and with no cleavage, breakage rarely occurs. Sapphires are beautiful, durable and timeless gems that are certainly a wise investment.

Gemstone 4C’s

While there are no official 4 C’s for grading colored gemstones, like there are with diamonds, many of the same principals apply. Following are the 4 C’s as they apply to colored gemstones:

Clarity

Clarity in most gemstones does not influence its value or beauty unless it breaks the surface or affects the integrity of the gemstone. In lighter colored stones, clarity may be more important than in darker stones that can mask imperfections.However, flawlessness in colored gems is even rarer than in diamonds.

The four flaws that occur in gemstones are fault, fissure, fracture and gas bubbles.

It is the type and location of a flaw that is more important than the fact that there is a flaw, since some flaws can affect the stone’s durability. Some stones are typically eye-clean such as topaz, while others are expected to have inclusions, such as emerald.

Citrine and Diamond Earrings

Aquamarine & Diamond Earrings

Amethyst Silver Dangle Earrings

Diamond and Amethyst Earrings

Color

Color has the greatest impact on value. The color should be pure, vibrant, even and fully saturated without being too dark or too light.

Sapphire and Diamond Bypass Ring

Green Tourmaline and Diamond Ring

Platinum Orange Sapphire Diamond Ring

Citrine and Diamond Ring

Cut

Cut affects the amount of brilliance the gemstone returns to the eye, the depth of color seen and the size of the stone. Well-cut gemstones will enhance the color of a stone, while poorly cut gemstones can turn out looking dead and lifeless.

Tanzanite and Diamond Pendant

Garnet and Diamond Pendant

Citrine and Diamond Pendant

Green Tourmaline Pendant

Carat

Carat weight determines value in two ways. First, the carat weight multiplied by the price per carat equals the total price for the stone. Second, the rarity of the size of stone compared to the normal size found will affect price.

Amethyst & Diamond Ring

14Kt White Gold Amethyst Ring

Amethyst and Diamond Ring

Modern Amethyst & Diamond Ring

Enhancements

Many gemstones have historically and traditionally been enhanced before bringing them to the customer. Most enhancements have been around for a very long time, some for hundreds of years or longer. The result is an improvement of nature’s beauty. It makes gems available and more affordable. Most of these enhancements are stable and no special care is required.

Gems that are not usually treated include alexandrite, black star sapphire, cat’s eye chrysoberyl, garnets, hematite, iolite, moonstone, peridot, spinel and chalcedonies such as bloodstone, fire agate, onyx and sardonyx.

Gemstone Ring

Grape Garnet Ring

Peridot Pave Diamond Ring

Gray Moonstone Diamond Ring

Hardness vs. Toughness

Hardness describes a material’s resistance to scratching. Mineral hardness is measured using the Mohs’ scale. The higher the number, the harder the mineral is to scratch. The scale goes up incrementally from 1 until it reaches 9. The difference from 9 to 10 is greater than the difference from 1 to 9. For example, a diamond, which is a 10, is 100 times harder than a sapphire or ruby, which receives a 9 hardness.

Toughness refers to how easily a gemstone will chip, crack or cleave. Ratings range from poor to excellent. An emerald receives a poor toughness due to internal fractures, which make emeralds prone to chipping and cracking. However, rubies and sapphires receive very good to excellent ratings.

Origins of Gilding

The Egyptians may have been the first to practice gilding wood and metals, as many such objects have been excavated. Various Ancient Greek statues of great prestige were made of gold-plated wood for the clothing, and ivory for the flesh; most famously those of Zeus in Olympia and Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon. Extensive ornamental gilding was also used in the ceiling coffers in Rome, when the Romans began to gild the ceilings of their temples and palaces. Traces of gold leaf used in ancient gilding still remains brilliant and solid in many dwellings and artwork today.

The medieval Chinese developed the gilding of porcelain, which was later taken up by the French and other European potters.

Goldbeating

Goldbeating is the process of hammering gold into an extremely thin unbroken sheet for use in gilding. A gold nugget of 5 mm in diameter can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 square meters.

Thousands of years ago, Egyptian artisans recognized the extraordinary durability and malleability of gold and became the first goldbeaters and gilders. They pounded gold using a round stone to create the thinnest leaf possible. Except for the introduction of a cast iron hammer and a few other innovations, the tools and techniques have remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.

After an extensive process of goldbeating is complete, the finished leaf forms an unbroken sheet of gold with a thickness of 1/250,000 of an inch. Each leaf is cut into a three and three-eighth inch square and packaged in tissue-paper books containing twenty-five leaves.

Gold-Leafing/Gilding

The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as “gilt”. Parcel-gilt objects are only gilded over part of their surfaces. This may mean that the entire inside, and none of the outside, of a chalice or similar vessel is gilded, or that patterns or images may be gilded onto an object.

Today, gold leaf is not a commonly accepted style of art, although it is still being applied as a dramatic artistic approach to decorating. These days, one can notice gold leaf applied in upscale hotels and luxury venues; whether it is part of the décor in a theater or a fancy ballroom. Gold leaf is most commonly found in frames that are used to display works of art or in luxury artifacts or pieces of furniture. Gold leafing continues to captivate people with its special soft luster, which resembles solid gold. It has been used for decorating all over the world since ancient times and certainly will do so for many more years.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, red spinels were thought to be rubies. This little-known gem, spinel, is so similar to the ruby that many of the great rubies of history are now classified as spinels.

Large red gemstones found in the Iranian Crown Jewels, Russian Crown Jewels, and British Crown Jewels, at one time considered to be rubies, are now classified as spinel. We now know that many of the “so called” large rubies in the crown jewels of monarchies around the world are actually spinel and not ruby.

British Crown Jewels

It is not surprising that ruby and spinel were long confused. Both are mined in the gem gravels of Burma and Sri Lanka. They have similar hardness and durability, vivid color, and brilliance. Nevertheless, the ruby and spinel are unique in a variety of ways and each very special in their own right!

RUBY

One of the most sought after gemstones in the world is ruby, which is also one of the most beautiful gemstones created by nature.

Rubies are perhaps one of the oldest known gemstones to man. Rubies can include the most beautiful intense and deep reds of any gemstone and because of this trait; the ruby was possessed by many kings and queens from the beginning of civilization.

Ruby comes in either a pinkish red or deep, rich red color. A ruby’s color is very stable and won’t fade. The crystal structure is extremely beautiful, shiny and transparent to translucent.

Raw ruby out from the mine

Rubies are formed from the mineral Corundum, which is made up of aluminum and oxygen. Rubies are usually the result of chromium and titanium inclusions in Corundum.

Corundum is an extremely hard mineral and scores a 9 on the Moh’s Hardness scale.  It is second only to the hardest substance on earth; the diamond. Rubies are extremely strong and resistant to scratches, making them an ideal gemstone to be worn in jewelry.

Ruby is one of the most valuable gemstones in the world. Natural occurring rubies are very rare and extremely rare in large sizes over 3 carats. They are truly exquisite and the right color ruby at a large size can be worth more than even a diamond.

Heart of the Kingdom Ruby

SPINEL

Spinel is a special gemstone in many ways. For centuries it was mistaken for ruby and gained undeserved fame.
Although commonly thought of as red, spinel can be found in a range of beautiful pastel shades. These outstanding shades of pink, purple, orange, blue, plus every combination in between make spinel one of the most desirable stones in the world.

Due to its excellent hardness of 8 on the Moh’s scale and high clarity, spinel is a very fine gem for jewelry of all kinds. Fine spinel that is transparent is most sought after. Opaque spinel can sometimes display a star effect when cut as a cabochon and, it is especially valuable!

Natural forming spinel is rare; in fact it should be classified as very rare.  It is even rarer than ruby, and while they each look incredibly gorgeous, ruby is usually more valued and expensive. Spinel is usually less valuable due to the fact, that most people have never seen true spinel, and so demand for it lacks. A fine spinel’s beauty, brilliance and lush saturated color make it one of the gem world’s best bargains!

Ruby’s status as the most valuable gem of the age is evidenced by its rarity, unique red color, and brilliance. Spinel is equally rare and fairly new in the world of gemstones, making it a less valuable stone. Nonetheless, both have amazing qualities and value and would greatly enhance one’s gemstone collection.

There are approximately 8,000 different species of bi-valve mollusks, of which only about 20 are capable of producing pearls.

There are essentially two different types of pearls, natural pearls and cultured pearls. Natural pearls are formed randomly in nature without human intervention and are extremely rare. Cultured pearls are pearls grown with the influence of human intervention.

At first glance, one cannot distinguish the difference between a natural and cultured pearl. Only when the inner part of a pearl is revealed through the use of x-ray’s can a cultured pearl be distinguished from a natural pearl.

Natural Pearls

Natural pearls are extremely rare, and if they are round or spherical in shape, they are even rarer. Most natural pearls are irregularly shaped, because the layers of nacre tend to maintain the irregular shape of the original irritant. Natural pearls that are found to be of great value take several years to build.

Natural pearls are mostly found in the Persian Gulf and are referred to as Oriental pearls. Natural salt-water pearls are among the most desired in the world, but have practically ceased to exist due to pollution and extinction.
In a completely natural state, a very small percentage of mollusks will ever produce a pearl and only a few of them will develop a desirable size, shape, and color. Of those pearls that are produced naturally, only a small fraction of them will be harvested by humans. It is commonly assumed that one in ten thousand mollusks naturally produce gem quality pearls. Obviously, if we relied only on nature, owning a pearl would be very rare. Therefore, this need has led to the development of cultured pearls.
Although a market still exists for natural pearls, they are becoming more and more difficult to find, with rare full strands of pearls being auctioned for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cultured Pearls

In the early part of the 20th century, Japanese researchers discovered a method of producing pearls artificially. Essentially, the method involves inserting a foreign substance into the tissue of an oyster or mollusk and then returning it to the sea, and allowing a cultured pearl to develop naturally. From there, the same process of natural pearl creation takes place. The difference is that in this case, the placement of a foreign substance is intentional.

The cultured pearl industry has now far surpassed that of the natural pearl industry. Cultured pearls are now being produced in sufficient quantities to make them available to virtually anyone. Today, purchasing pearls from nearly any store in the world means purchasing a strand of cultured pearls.

There are essentially three different varieties of cultured pearls, Freshwater pearls, Akoya pearls and South Sea Pearls.

Freshwater Pearls

Cultured freshwater pearls are grown in rivers all over the world. Japan cultivates them and so does the United States along small tributaries of the Mississippi River. Freshwater pearls are produced by mollusks. They can be grown in a variety of tones including pink, orange, mauve and golden colors. They are usually smaller in size although they come in a variety of sizes.

Freshwater Pearl & Diamond Earrings

Akoya Pearls

Akoya pearls are cultured pearls cultivated primarily in Japan, China, Vietnam, South Korea and Australia. Akoya pearls are cultured in the Pinctada fucata martensii, also known as the Akoya oyster.

A bead is surgically planted in Akoya oysters to create the irritant that causes oysters to create a pearl. The oysters are then put back in the sea enclosed in baskets. They stay in the baskets from one to three years. Twenty five percent of the oysters left in the baskets die each year. The longer they have to produce layers of nacre the larger and more beautiful the pearls produced.

Renowned for their luster, Akoya pearls are considered the classic pearl. They are typically white or cream colored, with overtone colors of rose, silver, or cream. The Akoya oyster is the smallest pearl-producing oyster, so Akoya pearls also tend to be small, ranging in size from about 2 to 11 millimeters. They also tend to be the most consistently round and near-round pearls, making them ideal in terms of matching for multi-pearl jewelry such as pearl strands and bracelets.

South Sea Pearls

The South Seas lie between the northern coast of Australia and the southern coast of China. These waters are the native habitat of a large oyster known as Pinctada maxima.

South Sea pearls are among the largest cultured pearls in the world. South Sea pearls are harvested after a minimum of two years allowing for a larger size. The average size of a South Sea pearl is 13 mm, with most harvests producing a range of sizes from 9 mm to 20 mm. This oyster grows up to 12 inches in diameter, and can therefore be nucleated with a much larger bead than other saltwater oysters such as the Akoya.

South Sea Cultured Pearl Ring

South Sea pearls have several distinct characteristics. The nacre is unusually thick, ranging from 2 – 6 mm, compared to the 0.35 – 0.7 mm of an Akoya pearl. South Sea pearls have a unique, satiny luster that comes from the rapidly deposited nacre and warm waters of the South Seas. South Sea pearls also have a subtle array of colors; typically white, silver, and golden, that is rare in other pearl types.

Multi-Color South Sea Pearl Dangle Bracelet

Tahitian Pearls

Tahitian pearls are produced in the black-lipped oyster, the Pinctada margaritifera. They are cultivated in lagoons surrounded by atolls around Tahiti and the French Polynesian islands. This oyster itself is quite large, sometimes over 12 inches across and weighing as much as 10 pounds, which often results in much larger than average pearls. The pearls are unique because of their natural dark colors. Most Tahitian pearls are not actually black, but are instead silver, charcoal, or a multitude of colors with the dominant color being green. Truly black Tahitian pearls are among the most beautiful pearls in the world and are extremely rare.

Tahitian pearls undergo a cultivation process known as grafting, which involves transplanting a small piece of mantle from one oyster to another.  The graft tissue largely dictates the quality of the pearl.  Donor oysters are usually chosen for the beauty of their colors, as their mantle creates the eventual color of the pearl. The next step in the grafting process is the insertion of a nucleus, the six to eight millimeter ball around which the pearl grows.

Tahitian Pearl Pendant

Immediately after the grafting, the oysters are suspended on long lines in the clear water of the lagoon for about a year and a half as the pearls inside them form and grow. Finally the oysters are removed and their pearls are gently extracted.

Whether natural or cultured, pearls are a magnificent wonder. Their beauty is created and formed under the water which truly makes them a treasure to be desired.

There are a few different options to consider when insuring your jewelry. Some options you have may include using your homeowners or renters insurance or attaining a separate insurance policy to specifically cover jewelry items.

Renter’s and Homeowner’s Insurance Policies

Renter’s and homeowner’s insurance policies set limits for the loss of certain categories of personal property, including jewelry. Homeowner’s policies typically pay a maximum of $1,000 for jewelry theft. A renter’s insurance policy might have a lower limit for jewelry loss, commonly $500. Another aspect to consider is that most policies also have deductibles of $250 or $500, which is first applied to an insurance loss.

You might be surprised to learn that many renter’s and homeowner’s insurance policies only cover jewelry loss as a result of theft and do not provide coverage for lost or damaged jewelry items. It is important to read your policy carefully and ask your insurance agent to clarify the types of losses that are covered on your standard policy.

Additional Jewelry Insurance

You can usually purchase additional or separate insurance for your jewelry through your homeowner’s and renter’s insurance, called a policy “rider”. Be sure to ask your agent questions so that you have a good understanding of the coverage. Some questions that may be helpful are included below:

• Is there a deductible? If so, how much is it and how does raising or lowering the deductible affect my policy costs?
• Is an appraisal required prior to obtaining insurance? Are there only certain types of appraisers whose reports are accepted?
• Are the items covered no matter where the loss takes place? Would the policy cover me for a loss that occurs during domestic or international travel?
• Are items covered for full replacement cost? Must I replace the item, or can I obtain cash settlement?
• Does the policy cover repairs to damaged jewelry?

The rider is usually covered by a separate deductible that only applies to a loss of this kind of personal property, and it customarily covers for any type of loss!

Private Jewelry Insurance Options

The Chubb Group
The Chubb Group provides insurance specifically for jewelry. They offer policies through independent insurance agents and jewelry retailers.

Chubb’s jewelry policy guidelines are detailed below:

• Full coverage for the itemized amount shown on the policy
• No deductible
• Coverage applies worldwide for lost or stolen rings
• Replacement is not required, Chubb offers cash settlement. If you do replace the ring, you select the jeweler.

Chubb recommends an appraisal for all insured jewelry, but only requires an appraisal for items valued over $50,000. Chubb does not offer coverage for loose diamonds.

With a policy from Chubb, you can have the peace of mind to wear, use and enjoy your jewelry anywhere in the world. Your jewelry will be insured against most types of loss without a policy deductible.

Chubb provides some coverage for your new jewelry purchase, giving you time to contact your agent. And we make it easy by offering one of the most flexible appraisal requirements in the business.

Jeweler’s Mutual

Since 1913, Jewelers Mutual has been a leader in jewelry protection for jewelers across the country. They can protect your personal jewelry, frequently covering jewelry insurance claims that homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance doesn’t. The standard homeowner’s policy provides only limited jewelry protection, often excluding breakage or loss.

Jeweler’s Mutual offers personal jewelry insurance that covers both repair and replacement. The policy is not available for unset stones, damaged items, or antique jewelry. An appraisal is required for coverage.

You may either insure your jewelry for full value with no deductible, or you may elect a deductible of up to $500, that will lower the annual premium by as much as 14%!

Jeweler’s Mutual Insurance provides coverage for:

• Jewelry damage
• Jewelry loss
• Jewelry theft
• Mysterious disappearance

Jeweler’s Mutual insurance policy offers jewelry protection with no deductible, unless you choose one, so if you experience jewelry damage or loss, you won’t have to pay out of your own pocket.

They offer jewelry repair or replacement for your lost or damaged jewelry with items of same kind and quality, returning you to the same position that you were in before the loss.

Many homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies force policyholders to use impersonal jewelry replacement companies for jewelry repairs and replacements or to obtain several estimates to cover their personal jewelry damage or loss.

With Jeweler’s Mutual jewelry insurance, when you experience jewelry damage or loss on a piece covered by your policy, you’ll be able to work with a jeweler of your choosing. With Jeweler’s Mutual, you will only be required to attain one estimate, as opposed to other companies that require you to get several estimates.

When determining whether to insure your jewelry, you may want to consider that according to the U.S. Department of Justice; nearly $1 billion worth of jewelry is stolen each year. You can protect yourself from this risk with an insurance policy and have peace of mind knowing your jewelry’s value will be reconciled to you.

However, silver jewelry may be an option to explore. Sterling silver jewelry is made with a combination of silver and a small amount of copper, giving it a bright and shining appearance. Combined with gemstones and being highly polished, it gives an amazing sparkle that is sure to light up the smile on anyone’s face.

Being less expensive than gold, sterling silver jewelry is often more durable having a harder metal that withstands daily use. Sterling silver jewelry can be offered as a gift for special occasions such as graduations, milestones in personal improvement programs or just as a token of love and friendship.

Due to its long-lasting stability, the metal is a great choice for many gift ideas. The ideas are endless in getting the perfect gift design yourself, or finding one that is already created to fit the occasion. The gift will be greatly cherished, and you are sure to be on their mind as the most thoughtful gift giver. Silver jewelry allows all of these options, being affordable, versatile, and showing the care you put into your thoughts or personal designs.