(Andrew Werner Photography)

When you picture someone traveling with jewelry—especially diamonds—it’s easy to imagine a glamorous 1950s heroine stepping aboard a transatlantic steamship with a stack of Louis Vuitton trunks, a hat box or two, and perhaps a small, spirited dog in tow. She’d have an entire case devoted to her diamonds, each piece tucked safely away the moment she reached her stateroom, ready to sparkle across Europe paired with a dozen impeccable ensembles.

While it’s a charming image, holiday travel with jewelry looks a little different today. Modern travelers are navigating busier airports, tighter itineraries, and a world where it simply pays to be more mindful. The reality is that jewelry can be misplaced in the shuffle of security lines or overlooked in hotel rooms.

In fact, a recent Jewelers Mutual survey found that more than half of 1,500 U.S. adults reported losing jewelry on a trip—and many experienced it more than once. As a result, many travelers, especially younger adults and women, are turning to specialized jewelry or worldwide-coverage insurance policies rather than relying solely on homeowners or renters insurance.

Jessica VandenHouten is the Director of Brand and Marketing Strategy at Jewelers Mutual, where she leads integrated campaigns that enhance brand identity and foster meaningful customer connections. With more than 100 years of specialized expertise protecting fine jewelry, Jewelers Mutual is widely regarded as the industry’s most trusted insurance provider.

Dana Morrissey is the founder and creative force behind DL Collective, a boutique brand that specializes in fine jewelry. 

Melanie Musson is an experienced insurance and finance writer at Clearsurance.com, delivering expert insights to help readers make informed decisions about money.

Still, more people than ever are packing their engagement rings, heirloom pieces, and natural diamonds for holiday vacations, honeymoons, and destination weddings. Diamonds deserve to travel beautifully—and safely. This guide breaks down how to master traveling with jewelry: what to bring, how to store it, how to insure it, and what to do if something goes wrong, with expert insights from top jewelers and leading insurance specialists.

The Most Common Pieces Misplaced When Traveling with Jewelry 

If you’re someone who often misplaces an earring, that risk increases significantly when you’re traveling. It’s simply harder to keep track of small valuables when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings and moving between hotels, resorts, and airports. And while many of us love checking into a four-star hotel or relaxing at a beach resort, those are actually the top locations for jewelry loss or theft, according to the Jewelers Mutual survey referenced earlier. Earrings, in particular, are the most frequently lost or stolen pieces when traveling.

Among fine jewelry items brought on trips, engagement rings and wedding bands remain the most common: 52% of respondents said they travel wearing their engagement ring, and about 50% bring their wedding band.

Traveling With Jewelry: Insurance, Documentation and Prep

Insurance may not be the most glamorous topic, but when you’re traveling with jewelry, it becomes essential. If you plan to bring your favorite pieces on holiday trips or regular travel, having the right insurance coverage is non-negotiable. Here are a few simple steps to take, according to Melanie Musson, an Insurance & Finance Expert at Clearsurance.com.

First, how does jewelry insurance actually work? You insure each piece individually for its appraised or documented value. If something happens while you’re on a trip, the provider pays to repair or replace it.

As for cost, jewelry insurance typically runs between 1% and 2% of the item’s value per year—comparable to auto insurance, but significantly cheaper.

Check Your Insurance Coverage Before Traveling With Jewelry

If you’re wondering whether you need a dedicated jewelry insurance policy, the answer is almost always yes. “If you have a jewelry collection that exceeds the standard limits of a homeowner’s insurance policy, you need a jewelry policy or a jewelry rider to your existing policy. If you also travel frequently, you need a jewelry policy that includes worldwide coverage,” Musson told Only Natural Diamonds.

Jessica VandenHouten, the Director of Brand and Marketing Strategy at Jewelers Mutual, told OND that typical homeowners and renters policies often have coverage limitations for jewelry, including coverage that includes global travel. Worldwide coverage means your insured jewelry is protected no matter where you travel, as long as your home address is in the U.S. or Canada.  

 “It’s important to review your policy for coverage details and understand what’s covered if your jewelry is lost, stolen or damaged while traveling. A Jewelers Mutual policy includes coverage that accompanies you wherever you travel, across the globe. Whether you travel to another state or province within the U.S. or Canada or to another country, you are still covered for all the same perils you would be at home,” she says.

The Documentation You Need When Traveling With Jewelry

For proper insurance coverage, documentation is everything. Musson recommends keeping photos and detailed information for each piece and always make digital backups. If your phone gets lost or stolen while traveling, cloud storage ensures you still have everything you need.

Your documentation should include:

• Appraisals
• Time-stamped photos
• Serial numbers
• Digital copies of purchase receipts

Insurance Limitations and Regional Exclusions When Traveling With Jewelry 

Not all regions are treated equally by insurers when traveling with jewelry. Some policies only cover jewelry in major cities or popular resort destinations, excluding areas with higher theft rates. Musson explains you may be able to purchase an additional rider or simply choose not to bring your jewelry into excluded regions.

Some specialized jewelry insurers offer full worldwide coverage—protecting your pieces at home, in transit, and abroad—but you must read the fine print. Otherwise, you may find yourself traveling with uninsured diamonds. (And you thought figuring out foreign outlet adapters was complicated.)

“Travel-related risks can vary widely by destination, and some policies may have exclusions tied to specific circumstances or locations. Because coverage can differ depending on the policy and situation, travelers should review their policy documents or contact their insurer before an international trip to understand how their coverage applies,” VanderHouten says.

The Biggest Misconceptions About Coverage While Traveling With Jewelry

There are several persistent myths about traveling with jewelry, particularly surrounding airlines and hotels.

Airlines and Jewelry Coverage

Even if you’re a frequent-flier loyalist who practically lives in the Delta One Lounge, airlines are not responsible for jewelry lost in your luggage. Musson clarifies: “People often assume the hotel or airline is responsible. Airlines set a maximum baggage allowance, and anything over that limit is your responsibility.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation caps baggage compensation at amounts far below the value of most natural diamond pieces. On international flights, liability limits hover around $2,000 per passenger—nowhere near the value of even a modest one-carat engagement ring. Airline carriage contracts spell out these limits, including how compensation for valuables is handled.

Hotels and Jewelry Coverage

Hotels also cap liability, even when they provide an in-room safe. In the U.S., innkeeper liability laws generally limit hotel responsibility to around $1,000 worth of jewelry. Even with a safe, certain requirements—such as signed inventory receipts—must be met for full coverage.

Physical Risks When Traveling With Jewelry

You’re finally on the holiday trip you’ve been planning for months, soaking in the scenery and the resort atmosphere. What many travelers don’t realize is that the very environment they’re enjoying can pose unexpected risks to their diamond jewelry. Climate, temperature, and vacation activities all play a role. Even the simple act of traveling with jewelry—like handling luggage through airports—can create issues.

Luggage Handling

Dana Morrissey, owner and jewelry designer for DL Collective Jewelry, explained: “The biggest real-world threats are micro-impacts from handling luggage, which can bend and weaken prongs.” She also noted that certain ring settings are more vulnerable when traveling—pavé settings in particular are more prone to diamond loss.

To avoid this, keep your jewelry in a padded travel case inside your personal carry-on—never loose in pockets or cosmetic bags where it can get knocked around. Hard-sided organizers or soft pouches with internal dividers offer extra protection against those small but damaging bumps. And, regardless of the setting, it is always recommended to get your diamond jewelry checked every six months.

Exposure to the Elements

And once you arrive, the risks of traveling with jewelry are not over—the beach itself brings its own challenges. Morrissey also advises against wearing your diamonds in certain environments when traveling. “At the beach, spa, or adventure trips are always risky. It is never recommended to swim with your diamonds,” she says. Chlorine and saltwater can damage settings and dull a diamond’s brilliance, while lotions and oils—especially sunscreen—can loosen prongs. Cold ocean water can also shrink fingers slightly, making rings more likely to slip off unnoticed.

To minimize exposure, apply sunscreen before putting on any jewelry, allow it to fully absorb, and remove pieces before swimming. After a beach day, gently clean your diamonds with mild soap and warm water to prevent buildup that can dull their sparkle.

How to Pack Diamonds for Air Travel

Never Put Diamonds in Checked Luggage

One of the cardinal rules of traveling with jewelry—right up there with staying seated during turbulence—is to always carry it on.

Morrissey emphasized: “Never, ever fly your diamonds in checked luggage.” Even though airlines lose fewer than 1% of checked bags, that tiny percentage still isn’t worth the risk when it comes to natural diamonds. Internationally, mishandled baggage rates are harder to pin down, but one Forbes-reported survey found that British Airways ranks highest in complaints over lost or mishandled bags.

Pack Your Jewelry Securely and Carefully

The next part of a foolproof traveling with jewelry strategy is packing your jewels securely and intelligently.

Morrissey recommends using soft individual pouches and compartmentalized organizers. For added safety, consider separating diamond earrings into two anti-tarnish pouches so they don’t create friction or scratch. Diamonds are durable—but even diamonds can scratch each other.

When selecting cases or organizers, look for:

• Anti-tarnish lining
• Compartments sized for rings, pendants, and earrings
• Ring rolls, necklace hooks, or earring panels
  These features help prevent tangles, scratches, and stress on prongs or settings—because no one wants to spend their vacation detangling necklaces instead of enjoying the beach.

One strong option for traveling with jewelry is Cadence capsules. The patented Cadence system is TSA-compliant, customizable, and designed specifically for travel. As Cadence founder and CEO Steph Honn told OND: “Place your loved jewelry into our Capsules, which will protect it from getting lost, crushed, or left behind. Think of the Capsule as the best safety deposit box you could have for the small items that hold value to you.”

Other high-quality jewelry travel brands include Mark & Graham, Quince, Heaven Mayhem, and AWAY, all of which offer secure carriers ideal for diamonds and fine jewelry.

How to Store Jewelry in Hotels

When you arrive at your hotel while traveling with jewelry, it’s important to think strategically about security. After checking the property’s policy, test the in-room safe to make sure it functions properly. If you’re unsure about its reliability, ask the front desk whether they offer secure lockboxes or safety deposit boxes for guest use.

If no safe is available, Morrissey recommends using discreet compartments and decoy containers. With the jewelry you aren’t wearing out, hide the remaining items in something less obvious than a drawer. You might tuck your jewelry inside a makeup case, an empty pill bottle, or a similar container that doesn’t look valuable.

Because beach days, spas, and adventure activities are a big part of many vacations, some travelers choose to insure their diamonds thoroughly or leave especially valuable items safely at home when traveling with jewelry.

What To Do If Jewelry Is Lost or Stolen While Traveling

If you’re traveling with jewelry and suddenly realize a diamond piece is missing, you need to act quickly. Morrissey says you must file a police report as soon as possible and then contact your insurance provider. Your documentation—photos, appraisals, serial numbers, and receipts—becomes essential. The more information you can provide, the stronger your claim will be.

When it comes to recovering lost or stolen jewelry, the process differs slightly depending on whether you’re traveling with jewelry domestically or internationally.

For domestic travel, filing a police report is usually straightforward, and your insurer may be able to guide you through next steps right away.

For international travel, you may need to locate the nearest police station or tourist assistance office, request an English-language copy of the report, and follow any local protocols for theft claims. Some countries require additional documentation or stamps for insurance purposes, so keeping digital backups of everything is especially important.

According to survey findings, some travelers choose to bring lower-value “travel jewelry” rather than their most precious natural diamonds, while others forgo wearing jewelry entirely when abroad. But with preparation, proper insurance, and the right safeguards, it is possible to travel confidently with valuable pieces when traveling with jewelry—whether you’re crossing state lines or continents. Think of your jewelry protection strategy as part of your overall trip planning so you can enjoy your travels—and show off your gorgeous diamonds—to a whole new audience.