Should I Insure My Jewelry and Valuables?

If you own high-value jewelry or plan on buying an expensive Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other, you should consider purchasing a scheduled personal property rider for your homeowners insurance or a separate jewelry insurance policy. While a basic home insurance policy includes some coverage for jewelry and other valuables, these items generally won’t be insured at their full replacement cost without additional coverage.

Keep reading to learn more about jewelry insurance, including how much coverage is automatically included with homeowners insurance and which perils are covered when you insure jewelry with a separate valuables insurance policy.

On This Page

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  Who Needs Insurance for Jewelry?

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  What Does Jewelry Insurance Cover?

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  How Does Jewelry Insurance Work?

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  How Much Does It Cost To Insure Jewelry and Other Valuables?

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  Does Home Insurance Cover Jewelry and Valuables?

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  What Types of Home Insurance Policies Cover Jewelry?

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  How To File a Jewelry Insurance Claim

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  How To Get Coverage for Jewelry and Valuables

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  FAQs

Who Needs Insurance for Jewelry?

Anyone with a collection of rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings or other jewelry could benefit from specialized jewelry insurance coverage, especially if their collection is worth several thousand dollars. Keep in mind that jewelry is one of the most common targets of home intruders, so you’ll want to make sure you have an insurance policy in place to protect against jewelry theft.^[1]

What Does Jewelry Insurance Cover?

Jewelry insurance policies often provide broad coverage for a wide range of perils that could result in your jewelry needing to be repaired or replaced, such as the following:^[2]

• Misplacement and other accidental losses
• Theft
• Accidental physical damage
• Unexplained disappearances
• Natural disasters, like floods, earthquakes and windstorms

Your policy may also cover preventive maintenance costs and automatically adjust your coverage limits to account for inflation. Additionally, it’s possible that your jewelry insurance company will cover losses that occur while you are traveling outside of the United States.^[2]

What Isn’t Covered?

Although jewelry insurance policies generally cover the most common sources of jewelry damage, they may exclude coverage for losses and expenses like these:^[2]

• War and military actions
• Rodent and pest infestations
• Intentional losses
• Deterioration
• Resizing
• Cleaning and inspections

How Does Jewelry Insurance Work?

Depending on your insurer, you may be able to get a jewelry insurance policy with no deductible, which means you won’t have to pay anything out of pocket whenever you file a claim. However, keep in mind that your policy will likely be more expensive if you choose a $0 deductible.^[2]

To ensure that you get the right amount of coverage, you will generally want to hire a professional appraiser to assess the value of your jewelry before purchasing your policy.

Is Jewelry Insurance Worth It?

Jewelry insurance can be a worthwhile way to make sure an expensive jewelry collection is adequately insured, since homeowners insurance coverage for jewelry is often limited. Another benefit of purchasing valuables insurance separate from your home insurance policy is that you can file jewelry-related claims without increasing your homeowners insurance premium.

How Much Does It Cost To Insure Jewelry and Other Valuables?

For the most part, your jewelry insurance cost is typically set at 1% to 2% of the total value of the valuables covered by the policy. For example, if you have $10,000 worth of jewelry, you will likely have to pay a premium of $100 to $200 per year to insure your collection, depending on factors such as your location and deductible.^[2]

Does Home Insurance Cover Jewelry and Valuables?

Home insurance does cover jewelry and other valuables, but these items are often subject to sublimits, meaning the amount that your insurance company will pay out after your jewelry is lost due to a covered peril will likely be less than your overall coverage limits and potentially lower than the actual cash value (ACV) of the lost valuables.

Generally, basic homeowners insurance policies will pay out a maximum of $1,000 to $1,500 for jewelry-related claims.^[3] Considering the fact that engagement rings cost about $6,500 on average as of 2025, this means that your homeowners insurance settlement may not be nearly enough to replace your engagement ring if it is destroyed or stolen.^[4]

Your policy may include per-item and/or blanket sublimits. Per-item sublimits apply individually to each piece of jewelry you lose due to a covered peril, while blanket sublimits apply collectively to all of your valuables in the event that you lose multiple precious items due to a single covered peril.

Does Renters Insurance Cover Jewelry and Valuables?

Renters insurance generally covers your jewelry and other valuables in the same way as homeowners insurance. Keep in mind that, unlike standalone jewelry insurance claims, standard homeowners and renters insurance claims involving your belongings typically require a deductible, which is your mandatory contribution toward each claim.^[5]

For example, if you have a $1,000 deductible, your insurance company will subtract $1,000 from your insurance settlement after you experience a covered loss. In this scenario, your homeowners or renters insurance carrier would not reimburse you if you lost a ring worth $800 because the value of the lost item would not exceed your deductible.

What Types of Home Insurance Policies Cover Jewelry?

Jewelry is covered by personal property insurance, which is included in a standard homeowners insurance policy and also provides coverage for your other belongings, such as clothing, electronics and furniture. Personal property coverage usually insures your jewelry and other belongings only against the following 16 named perils:

You can also insure your valuables against floodwater damage by purchasing a policy from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). However, you should note that the NFIP applies a $2,500 sublimit to all flood insurance claims involving valuable items, including jewelry, fine artwork, furs and more.^[6]

If you want more thorough coverage without buying a separate jewelry insurance policy, you can instead purchase a scheduled personal property coverage endorsement for your homeowners insurance.

Like jewelry coverage, scheduled personal property insurance allows you to raise your coverage limits for select valuables and secure no-deductible coverage for accidental losses and other perils that aren’t covered by standard homeowners insurance. Along with jewelry, you may also be able to schedule valuable items like these:^[7]

• Furs
• Artwork
• Antiques
• Stamp, coin or bullion collections
• Firearms
• Musical instruments
• High-value cameras

How To File a Jewelry Insurance Claim

Whenever your jewelry is lost, damaged or destroyed, you can take these steps to file an insurance claim:

1. If your jewelry has been stolen, call 911 so the responding officers can fill out a police report.
2. Call your insurance company to initiate the claims process and schedule an appointment with an insurance adjuster.
3. Take photos and videos of the damaged jewelry, if applicable.
4. Make emergency repairs to your home, as needed, to protect your jewelry from further damage.
5. If you are still paying off your home and are filing a claim on your homeowners insurance, tell your mortgage lender that you are in the process of filing a claim.
6. Present evidence that backs up your claim during the adjuster’s visit, including photos and videos, police reports, home inventories and appraisals.
7. Keep receipts and other documents that relate to your claim.
8. Complete required paperwork and take care of any issues that arise with your claim as soon as possible.
9. Use your insurance payout to replace your lost jewelry, or consider contacting a lawyer or public adjuster if you believe your insurer is undervaluing your claim.

How To Get Coverage for Jewelry and Valuables

You should try to find quotes from three to five different insurance companies that will cover your jewelry and valuables, so you can compare them and find the insurer that offers the best jewelry insurance deal. To apply for a homeowners insurance quote, you may need to share the appraised value of your jewelry collection, along with where you live and other details about your household.

While this process can be tedious, it doesn’t have to be. By going through SmartFinancial, you can be connected with insurance agents in your area after taking just a few minutes to fill out a questionnaire about your homeowners insurance coverage needs and budget. If you'd like free homeowners insurance quotes, click here to get started.