care for fine Jewellery
Weddings these days are no longer like what it used to be years back. With time the extravaganza as it can be rightfully called now has become more of a trek to somewhere picturesque.
While extensive photo shoots and destination weddings have taken center stage, it has almost become inevitable to travel with precious jewelry.
Travelling with precious jewelry has its own set of inevitable risk factors involved. To travel trouble free along with your precious jewelry, these are the hacks you need to know-
Make a check list:
The first thing one should probably do while travelling with precious jewelry is making a check list of the pieces to be carried. A copy of the check list should be left at home for reference, while another copy should be carried on the trip. The check list would ensure that you won’t leave behind any piece while repacking.
Choose wisely:
The essence of travelling well is travelling light. So even if you are headed for a plush destination wedding, you can’t afford to pack your entire cupboard. The first and foremost tip to travelling light is choosing the right kind of jewelry. Choosing detachable pieces and jewelry that would go with more than one outfit is the key to reduce baggage.
Know how to pack:
Packing precious jewelry is an art, for the packaging should protect the jewelry pieces from probable wear and tear. Expert’s advice that for travelling, one should ditch the quintessential velvet jewelry boxes provided by jewelers, since the glue in the velvet box might react with the metal in changing weather conditions.
Each jewelry piece should be wrapped in muslin cloth and packed in butter paper after which they should be placed in boxes lined with cotton to ensure that the pieces do not move and brush with each other much. However, having said that one should keep this in mind that the cotton lining should never touch the metal, for that may cause further metallic reactions. To pack the jewelry tight, some also advice the use bubble wraps.
On the D Day:
When it comes to jewelry, one needs to be careful on the frenzied day. The staple tip that our experts gave was, never wear jewelry before finishing off with make up and perfume.
If you are wearing polki, you need to be extra careful of humidity. Polki jewelries have silver foil linings inside, which may react if perfume is sprayed over it and will tend to get oxidized.
Similarly, diamond has a property of attracting grease. So liquid make up and lotions may form a thin layer over diamonds, and loose powder too might settle on the stone making it look dull.
Post occasion care:
Caring for the jewelry pieces double after you have worn them to an occasion. One should be careful not to drop the piece on the floor while cleaning. The grime and grease should be wiped off with the help of a muslin cloth. For diamond jewelry, one can dip the piece into mildly warm water and then wipe it off with muslin cloth.
Declaring at the airport:
As most of our experts joked, the most basic tip to care for your jewelry while travelling is declaring it at the airport. While travelling with precious jewelry, it is a mandate to provide a detailed declaration of the valuation of jewelry being carried. The golden rule to avoid a problem is- declare whenever confused. However little may be the value of the jewelry, declaring it to the airport authorities saves you of all probable trouble. Also, in this regard, one must remember that precious jewelry should always be carried in the hand baggage which minimizes the risk of being misplaced.
Jewelry insurance:
Most travel insurance policies have a very basic coverage of expensive items being carried on the trip, so it is advisable to go for a separate insurance of your precious jewelries when embarking on a trip. However, choosing the right insurance for your jewelry is one difficult task, but we have simplified it for you. (Click here to know more about Insurance)
Fact Source: Cherry Sahni ( Diamond Tree), Shehzad Zaveri (Minawala)
