Am I safe to wear my wedding ring?
 

I will be in San Juan.

My husband doesn't think so.

My wife and I had been to San Juan numerous times and had found the town to be quite safe. Especially in Old San Juan, we didn't feel threatened even at late night after partying a little.

As with going to any city, just exercise street smarts. Every place has their not-so-good elements, and San Juan is no exception.

Have a Don Q and coke for me at El Batay for us!

Cheers.

Probably. However, whenever my wife and I travel (including in the US), she leaves her expensive jewelry and I leave my good watch home. (She has a $100 "backup" ring that she wears on vacation so she doesn't feel "naked" and I have a $50 plastic Seiko watch.) One less thing to think about when you are on the beach. By the way, I once lost the watch at Orient Beach in St. Martin and, when I went back the next day, someone had found it and left it at the bar near where I had been sitting on the beach.

There are many threads on this site with this same question. The opinions are about even pro and con, in my estimation.

I feel that a wedding ring (or any unnecessary jewellery) is one more thing to worry about while you are away. With experience, we have evolved to the state where we don't need trinkets to impress ourselves or others when travelling. ((*))

Leave it home and wear a cheap replacement if needed. Why take the chance?

I spent a few day's in San Juan and never fealt threatened. However like many others I just don't travel with my ring. Ecspecially if it is a beach vac. why risk loosing it and worrying your whole vac. about it?

"Every place has their not-so-good elements"

Not so, come to lovely St Barts were everywhere and everybody is a good element.

Is it the type of ring that leaves people blind? Then maybe you should. :-)
We had no problems in San Juan. I do tend to leave my engagement ring and expensive jewelry at home.. not necessarily due to safety concerns but more from fear of losing them. I'd rather not have to think about it.

And Waring, whenever I make it to your island, I better have a grand ol' time the way you always talk about it. ;)

I leave my engagement/wedding ring at home when I travel and wear another ring (band) instead. Since I had the ring made for myself before I met my husband, and I love it, it is a great opportunity for me to be able to enjoy wearing it.

I guess I'm in the minority here. I always wear my wedding ring while vacationing and I bring my good jewelry. I keep it all in the safe in the room during times we aren't there. I've never had a problem in the 14 years we've been traveling.

"And Waring, whenever I make it to your island, I better have a grand ol' time the way you always talk about it. "

Look forward to it, I'll show you around :)

Honestly, I am getting to know the Caribbean at the rate of about two islands a year, and St Barts is up top by a very very long way.

You could wear a ring with a rock the size of an ostrich egg and no one would even look at it (except perhaps to comment that it's a bit excessive)

I always wear mine and my diamond is fairly good sized. I see no reason to deprive myself of something that I wear everyday at home. I have never had a problem in any of the dozen Caribbean islands I've ever visited nor any other place we've ever been. I have, however, opted not to bring any of my other good gold/silver jewelry.

...lots of good answers on this thread: "exercise street smarts" / "wear back-up jewelry" / "who do you have to impress" / " use the hotel safe" or what do you have it for if not to wear it? Once you've seen how much gold a man and/or woman can put on their bodies in the Caribbean you'll wonder why your lovely diamond looks so small. Jewelry is a must wear for much of Caribbean society. I do a lot of travelling, especially at home in the Caribbean. I have never had anything stolen BUT I have lost rings and things because of my own error. Now I leave the diamonds in the safe at home and wear a coin ring I got in Grand Cayman when I travel. The worst loss I ever had was at the Plaza Hotel in NYC and even that was my own fault. I stopped wearing watches on vacation. Why bother. The sun goes down around 6:30 in the Caribbean. That's close enough for vacation time. If I need a wake up call for tee time I ask the hotel to call me. By the way, Puerto Rico is the U.S. so you will be dealing with U.S. laws.

I stopped wearing my engagement ring while traveling.
I have a plain wedding band that I wear while on the road. I usually bring a pair of cheap, but cute funky earrings to wear. If anything was lost or stolen, I wouldn't have to cry about it.
Now, I did lose a pair of earrings that were sapphires and diamonds in my own home. I luckily found them on the kitchen floor. I thought they came off while I was out. So, you can lose stuff anywhere.
If you decide to wear it, turn the diamond around if you are walking the streets at night as to not attract attention to your hand.

Waring - I agree with your assessment of SBH but why take the chance? Should you go in off season, however, the many of the "beautiful" people are gone and that leaves less money for the locals. I feel completely safe on SBH and we travel in October..but still don't take my good jewelry. Crime is everywhere.

I would say go with what you are comfortable with - if you want to wear it, then wear it but if you are worried then leave it at home. I love wearing my beautiful wedding ring and other jewelry, but not all of it. In the twenty years we have been traveling to the Caribbean and other places in the world, I have always worn my jewelry and have never felt uncomfortable.

I never worry about my jewelry while I am traveling as a temptation for others to rob/mug me. I don't wear my expensive jewelry because I might loose it. I left a sapphire and diamond bracelet in my bathrobe pocket once at a hotel. Luckily, I was able to retrieve it before it went off to the laundry! So I leave stuff at home because I can be the problem not the locale.

Cissy, what you say has has an element of truth. In low season, seasonal workers have been known to "subsidise" their return ticket to France by petty theft.

I will underline "Petty Theft" and can say in all confidence that crimes against a person are unheard of.

After my husband lost his wedding band in the ocean a month after we were married, I always leave my engagement ring at home. I do wear my band, which I don't really like, in hopes that I will lose it in the water and be forced to buy a new one:)

If you do decide to wear a ring with a diamond or precious stone, be sure that A.) it is insured, and B.) the stones have recently been tightened.

My mother in law lost her diamond (2 carats!!!) while we were all on a family vacation, and it really ruined her trip since it wasn't insured. It just fell out one day while we were at an outdoor festival. Someone there was happy if they found it...

Sure, you can lose the diamond at home, too, but it doubles the blow if it also ruins your hard-earned vacation.