Insuring Your Diamonds
Insuring a diamond takes a bit of thought,
planning, and shopping around. Diamond
insurance isn’t like purchasing car insurance.
It is quite different. Depending on the state
that you live in, there are basically three
different types of policies that will cover
diamonds, and all insurance policies that
cover diamonds are considered Marine
type policies.
The first type of insurance policies for
diamonds is an Actual Cash Value policy.
If the diamond is lost or damaged beyond
repair, the insurance company will replace
the diamond at today’s market value, no
matter how much you paid for the diamond
to begin with. This type of insurance policy
for diamonds actually is not that common.
The most common type of insurance for
diamonds is Replacement Value insurance.
The insurance company will only pay up to a
fixed amount to replace the diamond that was
lost or damaged beyond repair. This does not
mean that they will pay that amount – it means
that they will pay up to that amount. In most
cases, the diamond can be replaced at a
lower cost.
The third type of coverage offered for
diamonds is Agreed Value. This is
sometimes called ‘Valued At.’ This type of
coverage is very rare. In the event that the
diamond is lost or damaged beyond repair,
the insurance company simply pays you the
amount that you and the company agreed
upon. This is the best type of insurance to
have, but it is rarely offered. If you can’t get
Agreed Value coverage, Actual Cash Value
coverage should be your next choice.
Your rates will be determined by the value of
the diamond, the type of coverage that you
select, and the area that you live in. If you live
in an area with a high crime rate, you can
expect to pay more for your diamond
insurance coverage. It is important to
remember that insurance agents are not
qualified jewelers, and jewelers are not
qualified insurance agents. It is best to get
a certificate for your diamond, and to
provide the insurance company with a copy
of that certificate. This leaves the insurance
company less room for arguments over the
actual value of the diamond.
Don’t rely on separate coverage to cover
your diamond. For instance, if you diamond
is stolen from your home, it is probably
covered on your home owner’s insurance
policy – but the diamond probably won’t
always be in your home, and once it leaves
your home, there is no coverage.
December 9, 2009 No Comments
Jewelry Wholesale and Estate Sales
Buying jewelry wholesale at estates sales is
actually quite easy. In fact, in most cases, this is
the easiest way to get very rare or old pieces at or
below jewelry wholesale prices! There is, however,
a method to the madness when it comes to walking
away with an heirloom piece at a rock bottom price!
Most people have estate sales when a person has
died. Unless the person was extremely wealthy, an
appraisal of all of the items that will be sold is not
done…and in most cases, the people holding the
sale are heirs that simply want to cash in. They
have no idea what the real value of what they are
selling is. Furthermore, these sales are often run
just like your average garage sale, with items
marked at incredibly low prices! You can literally
walk away with thousands of dollars of jewelry for
just a few dollars.
Even if the jewelry is not that valuable, the pieces
of the jewelry may be of some use to you when you
are constructing your own pieces. You can
carefully take the pieces that you buy at estate
sales apart, and save the reusable gems, chains,
settings, and other pieces. You can typically buy
these pieces far below jewelry wholesale prices!
December 5, 2009 No Comments