Help! Jewelry Question

[Su&Andy]

Have started to pack for upcoming cruise to Eastern Carribean, which includes co-ordinating jewelry pieces for day and evening wear. My selection pile keeps growing. How safe is it to bring numerous pieces (30 or more) of moderately priced fine jewelry on board? And will I have any problems at customs? ~ A cruise neophyte.

[Cruiseoften]

Have started to pack for upcoming cruise to Eastern Carribean, which includes co-ordinating jewelry pieces for day and evening wear. My selection pile keeps growing. How safe is it to bring numerous pieces (30 or more) of moderately priced fine jewelry on board? And will I have any problems at customs? ~ A cruise neophyte.

Hi - assume this is a 7 day cruise?

It's quite safe to bring jewelery because there is a safe in each cabin. However, it is not advisable to wear it when going ashore - you are targeted and may well be robbed. Apart from that, it's probably going to be hot and humid and you'll be wearing light weight slacks or shorts and cotton tops......minimal costume jewelery is more than adequate.

Personally I'd only be packing fine jewelery for the (probably)2 formal nights.

Enjoy your cruise! Which ship re you on? :)

[AmyinVail]

Ah, jewelry....now we're talking! I bring several pieces when I vacation - many I only wear on cruises, as they're too extravagant to wear here at home. I always keep my jewelry on me when flying (DON'T check it) and keep in safe when I'm not wearing....for my very expensive pieces, they do have safe deposit boxes behind the front office that you can use, although it's always a pain to get them-depends on how comfortable you are w/ the safe and the price of the jewerly!

[palmgirl]

I always travel with a lot of expensive jewelry (Thank you husband :D ) and have never had a problem.
The in room safe would hold a tiara if you want to bring one and I never felt uneasy about leaving things in it.

I have never been questioned by customs.

The worst part can be clearing airport security. I use jewelry rolls for packing since they fit easily in my carryon. I always rolled them. I was searched because the x-ray could not tell what it was. Such fun, me and 2 airport security ladies in a very small room looking at my jewelry inventory. Took over 30 minutes.

I now lay them flat so that the x-ray can tell what I'm carrying. :D

[Esme]

Completely agree with CruiseOften. I only wear gold hoop earings and small diamonds in my ears (my grandaughter thinks Grandam is "cool" because she has 2 piercings in each ear) :) but take both off if I am going off in a port. I have even taken off my wedding rings in places such as Caracas, Jamaica and Cartegna.

During the day I wear no jewellery (except my gold hoops) on the ship because I am either in a bathing suit or shorts all day.

I only take my pearls and a diamond pendant to wear on formal nights. The Informal night/s I only wear a gold chain.

To me, 30 pieces of jewellery is far too much to carryand definitely not needed. Many times I have seen ladies on the elevator preparing to get off the ship, and they are loaded down with expensive looking jewellery. I have warned them about wearing such items off the ship, but whether they heeded my warning, I have no idea.

[RuthC]

Daytime on and off the ship I wear a watch and junk earrings. That's more than enough.

But nighttime I shine! Or, at least my jewelry does. I bring it all---every last beautiful piece! After all, how much room can it possibly take up in the carry-on? And why have it if you don't wear it?
I keep it in the safe when I have a cabin to myself, and have kept it in the lock-drawer when sharing a cabin. Probably not the safest idea I've ever had, but so far so good.

[grannynurse]

on this topic. But we tend to take cruises longer than 7 days, last summer we both were on for 34 days and had 8 formal and 6 informal nights.

I'm only going for 7 days this summer so I will cut back to formal night jewelry only, and earrings and watch for days.
GN

[longtimecruiser]

Agree with Ruth and GN. Lots of times cruises are where I have a chance to wear my good jewelry. Why have it if you can't wear it. I do try to only take what I will wear with each outfit. Mine has always been sake in the locked drawer or the safe.

[midgecruiser]

I have always locked fine jewlery in the room safe. I never take my wedding ring into port (always wear my white gold wedding band only) because when I have we always seem to pay more for taxi, drinks, dinner, etc. Take a few good pieces that you can wear with most of your outfits. Most "celebrity" types travel with costume jewelry (per magazine interviews I have read) but if you do travel with the real thing always carry-on. The cabin safe (and anything in the room, really) seem to be safe. I think the job is worth more then anything that they might steal (Can't imagine. Never had a problem). I have never felt uncomfortable leaving anything "out" in the room. The stewards are all very professional. Enjoy your trip. Real or paste no one will ever really know. Travel stress free. Whatever that is for you. Have fun.

Wendy

[CamilleandNick]

I wear my most precious jewelry onboard the ship. I use the inroom safe and am careful to change the code on various days. I have many familiar code numbers that I use. I have never had a problem with jewelry. My husband is rather muscular and strong so we have never been harassed. I am careful to conceal my (rather large) diamond rings while in port by turning the stones around to the inside of my hand. I have not ever had any harassment. I swim in my diamond wedding ring as well...however, was warned of diamonds attracting sharks. Whether real or not, I am careful to conceal the diamond in my palm and actually wear swimgloves if REALLY swimming...concealing the diamond. I have (like other posters) many nice (big) stones/jewelry pieces from my husband and family and enjoy wearing them onboard. They are insured....but that would not replace sentimental value. I feel secure in wearing them onboard. I do know of people using the purser's lockboxes. I personally feel safer with the inroom safe.

[CamilleandNick]

"Whether real...threat to sharks...or not..." I conceal the diamond with swim gloves. The diamond's are real :-)

[Jemima]

I returned from my second cruise without my jewelry. I don't know what happened to it. I was careful with the jewelry and also packed it in my carryon for the return trip. The jewelry was costume but meaningful to me. This last cruise (our 7th) I found a jewelry cloth container with jewelry in my cabin. The stewards do some of the cabin cleaning disembarcation day while people are at breakfast. Most likely my cabin was cleaned then. I'm guessing the occupants then returned and in getting organized for disembarking, they set the jewelry container "temporarily" on a closet shelf and then forgot it.

[beachjeweler]

As a jeweler, and designer of one of a kind very high end jewelry, I hate to think of having items lost or stolen on a trip. My solution is to wear fabulous looking CZ jewelry---I get lots of compliments, have plenty of BLING, and don't have to worry about anything if it "disappears". I have created similar sets for some of my clients - CZ's are cheap, and even using 14k golds, it is not too great of an investment.

I have also travelled extensively by air to exhibit my work around the country. For these trips I pack my goods in Zip Lock Bags in my carry on luggage. I get stopped many times, but the airline folks are usually great about giving me a private screening in a booth so that I don't have to reveal the contents to the traveling public. The Ziplocks are not as pretty as a nice velvet jewelry pouch but they speed things up at security checkpoints.

My last suggestion if you must travel with a lot of fine jewelry, talk to your homeowners insurance folks about jewelry coverage. It can't help you to replace one of a kind art jewelry but at least you'll be able to start somewhere.

[trubey]

Good advice! A lot of times when we'd do a remount we'd take the lady's old ring and have a CZ cut for it for 'travel jewelry'.

Who are you and where? I was a platinum-and-diamond jewelry fabricator for a long, long time, in a Detroit suburb, retired now at age 55. Lots of fun, and a great head-rush when the boss walks in, throws a ten-carater on your bench and says he wants a mounting by 4:00 PM.

Lane