Jewelry Question for Women...
 

An approaching trip to Mexico made me wonder how many married women wear their wedding rings/bands on vacation? Do any other women worry about their rings getting stolen/robbed/ or loosing them? Do many of you leave them at home?

I always wear mine but I read somewhere that chlorine is bad for gold (any jewelers out there that can confirm?) and can damage it so if you have gold, maybe not such a great idea?

I would be careful if your ring is expensive or flashy. That might make you a target for theives. I think anyone flashing a lot of jewelry/diamonds is asking for trouble while traveling anywhere. I have always worn my wedding band that has a small diamond in it. If you are really worried, I'd just get a cheap band and leave the good stuff home. JMHO

I have an el cheapo ring from WalMart that I substitute for my good, valuable wedding ring, which I leave home. I would never travel without a ring on (esp. to Latin and Mediterranean countries), but with an inexpensive band, I have less to worry about.

I have only two pieces of good jewelery: my engagement diamond and my grandmother's diamond. I always leave Nana's at home, but wear my wedding band and diamond everywhere.<BR>

Grace,<BR> I wear a lot of gold at home, but when I travel it's inexpensive sterling and costume stuff only. I even revert to the stainless steel Medic-Alert bracelet! I'm not married, but as I travel with my boyfriend I wear a silver Claddagh on the pertinent finger when we visit Latin/Mexican/European countries.<BR>ja

Hmm, replacing it with a cheap one is an interesting idea. I like the idea just so people know I am married(not traveling alone and single). But I wonder if someone could mistake it for being more valuable? I think I may have to do that as my ring and band are fairly valuable. I just don't want to take the risk.

I always wear my wedding rings and watch and one pair of earrings, everywhere I travel.<BR>I have never been robbed, although I never take them off either.<BR>Why would you lose a ring or jewelry on vacation anymore than at home?<BR>

I have a travel horror story for you. Three years ago I was at the Miami Seaquarium with hubby, two young sons, and in-laws, whom we were visiting.<BR><BR>It was unseasonably cold, and I hadn't brought anything warm enough along, so I was wearing my sister-in-law's jacket. In one of the restrooms, I took my wedding ring off to wash my hands, putting it in the jacket pocket.<BR><BR>I didn't remember to retrieve it until an hour or two later, when we were leaving. Lo and behold, the pocket had a hole in it, and the ring was GONE. We searched the entire park, with no luck. I cried all the way back to Ft. Lauderdale. We were all in a rented van, and no one said a word. The worst part was that the diamond had come from my mother-in-law (she gave it to her son to give to me). I felt horrible!<BR><BR>I have a replacement now, but of course the ring wasn't insured for its true value, only for the standard "household item" value. Ladies, have your jewelry appraised and insured!<BR><BR>(And yes, to this day I still take it off to wash, but you can bet I am VERY careful with it!)

Oh, a post script; While I was waiting to replace the ring, I bought a less-than-$100 plain gold band to wear, since I too felt uncomfortable without one. I highly suggest buying one and leaving the good stuff at home.

I agree with carly. If you're taking your rings off every time you wash your hands, you could lose them just as easily at home as you could traveling. I don't bring much jewelry with me while traveling, but always have my rings and watch. I also have a rider on my insurance policy that covers jewelry/watches for their full replacement value.

I have 3 friends who lost their rings due to removing them to wash their hands, so I never take them off...who wants dirty rings on your fingers anyway? I also wear mine in the the pool, and after 30 years of marriage, the gold and diamond haven't disolved yet! <BR> I do leave it in the safe deposit box when travelling to high crime areas. I replace it with a plain gold band, as opposed to wearing a flashy fake. I was robbed once and never want to feel that way again! The whole point is to not attract theives. You may have some satisfaction knowing how dissappointed the'll be when they realize it's value, but meanwhile you may be out you wallet or worse.

Anyone have a recommendation where I can buy a cheap fake-but-realistic-looking ring for my solo travels? Since I can't find anyone to buy me a real one boo hoo!

QVC sells Diamonique that looks pretty real. QVC.com

The point is not so much about the value of the jewelry itself--that's what insurance is for. The real issue is that you may well be putting your life in danger. That's a risk not worth taking. I usually take a plain silver wedding band and some fun costume bracelets & necklaces. And to answer Carly's question as to why vacation is different from everyday: Certain vacation locales are known to be high risk for theft. Local thieves will target unsuspecting tourists who may have their guard down. Likewise, if you work in a high crime area, it also makes sense to be cautious about flashing big jewels. It all comes down to common sense.

Grace - <BR><BR>I can understand the concern about not necessarily wanting to appear to be alone (if in fact you will be),but how does wearing a ring clue someone in to whether you are traveling alone, or alone at any given moment? And why do you want to "look married"? How does that make you any safer?

Grace - <BR><BR>How did you handle this "looking single" issue when traveling before you were married?

When I hear a story about travelling with jewelry, I always think of my well-heeled friend Amanda. We were travelling to Hong Kong together, I for the first time while she was a regular visitor. I asked her about bringing jewelry - was it safe? She told me to just bring what I could wear. I took this to mean that there was a safety issue, so I wore my dinkiest pearl studs, cheapie silver ring and a thin gold chain. We meet on the plane and while the safety blurb is going on I see that she is sporting 3 carat (each!) ear studs, a 5 carat emerald cut diamond ring and a bangle bracelet with diamonds big enough to choke a horse! I stammer..."Is this what you meant by 'only what you can wear'?"

Before I was married I didn't wear any Jewelry so it wasnt really an issue. I bring up the "looking single" issue because I was reading some threads about safety (particularly for women)in the Mexico Board as well as some travel books. I want to limit any unwanted attention (it may or may not help).I am not a very paranoid person about safety but I definitly don't want my ring stolen for sentimental and monetary value. And I also like the idea of wearing a fake because my finger would feel naked.

Ana: and your point was.....?