Check your homeowners or renters policy first
If you have home insurance, a condominium owners policy or renters insurance, your policy will most likely include coverage for a limited amount of jewelry, usually $500 or $1,000. The limit of coverage applies to all jewelry you own, so be sure to consider the value of all your jewelry before deciding that it’s enough coverage.

You have two options for buying more coverage than your home insurance offers. You can add more coverage to your home or renter’s policy by adding an endorsement to cover the appraised value of your ring or all of your jewelry. This type of policy endorsement is sometimes called a floater or jewelry floater or a personal articles policy. The cost is based on a certain price per thousand dollars of insured value, usually around $2 to $5 per $100. So, the cost to insure a $3,000 ring might range from $60 to $100 a year. If you have a loss, your insurance company has the option of paying you the appraised amount or replacing the ring.

If you don’t have home insurance or want to compare rates before you insure your ring, try a jewelry insurance specialist. Many companies will offer an online quote, so you can compare costs and coverage. An appraisal from a certified jeweler will be helpful to establish the value of your ring whether you buy online or from an agent.

Finally, while you’re at it, take a few minutes to review your insurance coverage for all of your valuable items, including computers and electronics. If you need help finding out if your valuables are properly insured, contact your insurance agent or insurance company for more information.

Handle with care
You can’t insure your ring for daily “wear and tear.” So be extra careful while cleaning or doing household chores. Harsh chemicals can damage precious stones and metals, especially platinum, and a rough blow can easily dislodge a stone from its setting. A jeweler can polish your wedding bands, but it’s not a free service, so try to avoid scratches and nicks when you can. And, it’s a good idea to have a jeweler check your ring every year for loose prongs or stones. It costs little to replace a prong—and you’ll avoid an insurance claim in the long run.

Some jewelers offer a service plan to cover wear and tear. These plans are usually either included in the price of the ring or available after purchase for a percentage of the original price. Service plans almost never cover theft, loss, or damage beyond normal wear and tear, so they are not a substitute for insurance.

Hold on tight
OK. These tips might sound like they came from your grandmother, but seriously—who wants to take a chance?

* When you take off your ring, always put it in the same place. A ring-holder is a great idea.
* Don’t place your ring on the counter next to the sink when you wash your hands—unless the drain opening is covered.
* Sunscreen is slippery—so be careful not to lose your ring at the beach or pool—or on your honeymoon.
* Resize a ring that doesn’t fit, even if it costs extra. Rings have fallen off the hands of the newly engaged and been lost forever, so ignore this advice at your own risk.

Insurance can never replace the sentimental value of a wedding ring, but it can give you some peace of mind and protect your investment.

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The most important coverage contained in your policy is dwelling coverage. The amount you have for the dwelling is the maximum the insurance company will pay in the event your house is damaged or destroyed. The amount of dwelling coverage is determined by taking into account various factors, such as the interior square footage of the living space, the construction type, the year built, the number of bathrooms, etc. Using this data, your agent can calculate approximately what it would cost to rebuild your home. This number has nothing to do with the real estate appraisal value for your home; it is simply the amount of money required to reconstruct your house from scratch.

The next coverage listed on your insurance is called other structures. The amount of coverage available for other structures is customarily equal to 10% of whatever the dwelling coverage is. Detached sheds or detached garages fall into this category. Some people do not have any detached structures on their property, but the coverage is automatically included with the policy, sometimes at no cost.

After other structures you will see something called personal property. Personal Property includes all of the contents in your home. This includes furniture, rugs, beds, televisions, etc. Most homeowners policies provide personal property coverage equal to 50-70% of whatever the dwelling coverage amount is. You can call your agent to adjust this amount up or down depending on your individual needs.

Next is loss of use coverage. Loss of use is ordinarily 20% of whatever your dwelling coverage amount is. This covers expenses associated with having to move to another location temporarily if there is a loss at your home that prevents you from living there while the damage is repaired, such as a fire that destroys most of the home, or a severe mold problem.

The last important coverage, perhaps the most important to some people, is personal liability. You should maintain $500,000 of personal liability coverage. This coverage protects your liability in the event that something happens to someone while on your premises (such as slipping on an icy walkway), or when you do something that inflicts damage to persons or property while you are off premises (what kinds of activities are covered off premises varies depending upon the insurance company).

Now that you understand the most important components of the policy, you should also be aware of some other valuable coverages that you should ask your agent to add to it. You should probably request coverage for personal injury (libel, slander) and identity fraud be added. In addition, you can add coverage for your valuable items for an additional premium (such as jewelry, fine arts, fur coats, etc.). And finally, you should ask for an umbrella to be added to the policy. An umbrella provides additional liability coverage above the amount of underlying personal liability coverage. You can request anywhere from $1 million to $5 million dollars for your umbrella; some companies go as high as $10 million.
I hope this has helped you to make better decisions pertaining to your homeowners insurance. Even though everyone who has a home has insurance, most people have no idea what it covers. Then when it comes time to file a claim, they find that their policy does not meet their needs sufficiently. Use the information that was presented here to help you make intelligent choices so you can be prepared if something happens.

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