Insurance
All good jewelry should of course be insured, itemized piece by piece. This involves an appraisal by a recognized jewelry firm, which will register the various jewels, listing the number of stones and their weight, and indicating the current retail replacement value. There should also be a photographic record made of the jewels. This may be kept in microfilm. Most large jewelers keep a photographic record of every jewel that passes through their hands.
The appraisal of the jewels should be kept up to date. Values of stones are in a state of constant change; usually there is an increase. Once a year is not too often for a reappraisal, and the insurance broker should at once be informed of any significant changes. Such a revised evaluation is a guarantee of full compensation in the event of loss, and gives an adjustor no ground for argument as to the value of a jewel or a stone.
The inventory should include every piece of jewelry, including the less expensive items, such as might be worn every day. These are just the ones that are likely to be lost or stolen.
The Traveling Case
Since most policies cover the loss or theft of jewels at home or abroad, there is no need to leave precious jewels at home while traveling. There is, of course, no need to advertise their presence by boarding a ship or plane with a standard jewelry case carefully in hand. Much less conspicuous, as well as safer and more convenient, is a jewelry pouch carried inside the handbag.
Individual pouches can accommodate the various jewels. Long experience traveling with many jewels, both of my professional and of my personal collection, enabled me to fashion a pouch that combines practicality with good looks. This pattern has come to be widely used, and may be purchased at leading stores throughout the country.
The pouch is made of suede leather, chamois lined; it contains partitions that comfortably hold the various types of jewel: bracelets, earclips, clips, rings, necklaces, and the rest. Bracelets and necklaces, of course, should not be forced out of shape by rolling or bending, lest the stones be pressed out of their settings.
The chamois is designed to keep the jewels apart, so as not to scratch one another. Hard gems might, for instance, injure the skin of pearls. The hardest of all, the diamond, must be carefully wrapped so that it will not scratch other stones.