Key takeaways (TL;DR)
- Common hotspots: theft in busy public places, rings lost at the beach, and theft from hotel room safes; for high-value pieces, use the main hotel safe and get a written receipt.
- Travel insurance ≠ jewellery insurance: most policies have low per-item limits (built for laptops/cameras), so high-end jewellery often isn’t adequately covered.
- Before you fly: jewellery is made to be worn, but insure it so loss/damage/theft can be repaired or replaced to original condition.
- Avoid underinsurance: replacement costs have risen (e.g., gold prices up); get an updated valuation from your jeweller or a registered valuer.
- Bring it or leave it? Options: secure at home, insure with a comprehensive jewellery policy, or self-insure(risk).
- Geo reality check: theft/loss/damage can happen anywhere — even in Sydney or Melbourne — not just overseas “hot spots.”
- Replica vs real: depends on destination risk and personal comfort; many prefer wearing the real piece.
- Home vs travel risk: with a safe + home security, leaving jewellery at home can be safer; for long trips, consider a safety deposit box/vault.
- Water warning: don’t wear rings in the ocean — sunscreen + water = slippery fingers and easy losses.
- Are there any common hotspots where jewellery is most often lost or stolen when on holiday?
Claims for lost or stolen jewellery that we see most commonly when travelling are theft in busy public places, we see a lot of claims at the beach when people either lose their jewellery while swimming or if they’ve left it on the beach, and we do see a lot of claims where jewellery has been left in the safe in the hotel room and then is stolen.
We always recommend that if you are leaving high value jewellery in the hotel, that you request that it is stored in the main hotel safe and you get a written receipt from the hotel for the transfer of the jewellery to them.
- Is travel insurance enough when it comes to covering valuable jewellery? Why/why not?
Every insurance policy is different, so you would have to check the terms and conditions of each policy to check if it’s right for you, but in general travel insurance policies aren’t built to be covering high end jewellery.
Commonly travel insurance policies have maximum limits of a few thousand dollar per item which is built to protect things like a laptop or camera, not an engagement ring or high end jewellery.
- Any practical steps travellers can take before they fly to protect engagement rings, heirlooms and other valuable jewellery?
Jewellery is made to be worn and most people want to take it with them when they travel. While insurance can’t replace the sentimental value of a jewellery, it can ensure that if any loss, damage or theft does occur while travelling, the jewellery can be repaired or replaced back to it’s original condition.
- How Aussies can check if they’re under insured ahead of their holiday?
The replacement cost of jewellery has increased significantly over the last few years.
The price of gold has doubled over the last 18 months, so if you haven’t had your jewellery valued recently its definitely worth reaching out to your jeweller for an updated replacement cost or getting a professional valuation done through a registered jewellery valuer.
- Should Aussies leave their engagement ring at home?
That’s always up to the individual. Jewellery is made to be worn but the options they have are to either leave it securely stored at home, insure it adequately with a comprehensive jewellery insurance provider, or risk it and self insure.
- Which countries are generally safe to wear the ring in? (Parts of Europe are known for theft)
Theft, loss or damage can happen anywhere. There are obviously hot spots where pickpockets are well know but that can also happen in Sydney, Melbourne, or anywhere in Australia.
- Is it better to get a cheap replica for travel?
That’s really up to the individual to decide whether they want to travel with their real jewellery or replicas. It probably depends on the risk profile of where you’re travelling but some people love their jewellery too much to leave it at home and jewellery is made to be worn.
- What’s the risk of leaving it at home vs bringing it with you?
If adequate home security is in place like a safe and home security system, then it would make sense that leaving jewellery at home will be less risky than travelling.
But of course leaving a house empty can invite thieves, so if you want to 100% secure your jewellery for along trip overseas, we recommend storing it in a safety deposit box or in a vault.
- What about wearing rings at the beach/in the water?
Wearing jewellery in the water is high risk. A common claim we see is rings lost in the water at the beach. The reason is that you get to the beach, put sunscreen on which makes your fingers slippery and then go in the water, the ring can easily slip off without you noticing.