Worn Occasionally, Insured Continuously

Most jewelry claims fail or under-pay because the schedule was out of date, the appraisal was from a decade ago, or an item was never scheduled at all. Storage does not fix any of that on its own — the documentation does, and it is the part almost nobody keeps current.

Appraisals age in a way owners do not notice. A valuation from a decade ago reflects both a different market and different documentation standards, and an insurer settling a claim against it is settling against a figure that has stopped being accurate. The schedule has to be maintained rather than filed.

• Photographs of each piece, front and any marks.
• A written description that identifies the item unambiguously.
• Any certificates or appraisals you hold, recorded against the item.
• Condition, including existing wear.
• A schedule in a form your underwriter accepts.

Item-level identification with photographs, a description specific enough to distinguish the piece from a similar one, any certificates, and a current valuation. Not a category and a total.

Ask your broker what their carrier requires before assembling anything, because requirements differ and it is considerably easier to produce the right record once than to revise one afterwards.

1. 01Inventory piece by piece, photographed and described.
2. 02Attach your certificates and appraisals to the record.
3. 03Track each item's location and every movement.
4. 04Provide the schedule to your broker on your authority.
5. 05Tell you plainly when an appraisal has gone stale.

Ask your broker whether your policy covers jewelry while it is in commercial storage and while it is in transit to and from. Both are commonly ambiguous, and the transit leg is exactly when a piece is most at risk.

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