Sometimes when you buy jewelry the store will offer you an insurance
plan to go with it. These plans can be a very good idea, or a waste
of money, depending on your circumstances. Here are a few quick questions
to ask yourself before you buy store sponsored insurance:
- Am I already covered through my homeowners or rental policy? Or
can I add my jewelry onto my home or rental policy through a special
"rider" to my policy?
- Am I really going to stop in here several times a year, Should
I Buy The Store's Jewelry Insurance?
Sometimes when you buy jewelry the store will offer you an insurance
plan to go with it. These plans can be a very good idea, or a waste
of money, depending on your circumstances. Here are a few quick questions
to ask yourself before you buy store sponsored insurance:
- Am I already covered through my homeowners or rental policy? Or
can I add my jewelry onto my home or rental policy through a special
"rider" to my policy?
- Am I really going to stop in here several times a year, paperwork
in hand, to have this piece of jewelry checked if that is required?
What if I move, is this store-sponsored insurance transferable to
another location?
- Will this store be here in ten years? How long have they been here?
If I have homeowners or rental insurance, and all I need to do is
submit paperwork to my agent, am I really going to do that? Or am I
going to procrastinate and never get around to it?
Most jewelry stores who have a jeweler on the premises will check
and clean your jewelry for free while you wait, so you don't need insurance
for that. And if you have homeowners insurance, you may be already covered,
but you may need to submit appraisals (or store receipts for new jewelry
purchases). Check the fine print on the store-sponsored insurance. Some
require you to keep paperwork records over long periods of time, and
to bring those papers to the store each time you have the item checked
so they can validate them. Are you really going to follow through with
that? On the other hand, the store insurance might be a good deal if
you are unlikely to address the insurance issue any other way.
However you choose to insure your jewelry, Mrs. Gottrocks advises
you to always be sure to insure at least your wedding jewelry. As for
your other pieces, weigh the cost of insurance vs. how much it would
cost you to replace it, and your likelihood of being robbed, or losing
the piece. We always say if you can afford to, insure it! But check
out the various options before you commit to any insurance plan.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
us.