Keeping your jewelry safe while vacationing

[diamondlil]

Hello everyone.




I just returned from a week-long, family vacation in Williamsburg, VA. The resort was very nice, but I was very surprised at check-in when I inquired about an in-room safe. They had none

. I tend to bring a nice selection of jewelry with me when I travel, and I certainly don''t wear all of it at the same time. Every resort/hotel I have ever stayed in has had either an in-room safe or at least offered a safety box at the office.




Well, I had to come up with my own creative solution, and I was not about to carry my jewelry with me everywhere I went. Our condo had a full kitchen, and the only idea I had was to keep my valuables in a grocery bag tucked in with the food/drinks we had in the fridge.




Anyone else have any creative ideas?




Diamondlil

 

[granite1]

I work in the insurance industry and got a great tip from a client. She used an empty mayonnaise jar. When used up, she washed it out, filled it with white paint to cover all sides drained it out and let it dry. When dried it looked like a full bottle of mayo again and she hid her valuables in her frig too. Clever~

 

[winyan]

I was about to suggest that companies do make false bottom shave cream cans along with fake OJ cans, etc.

Maybe you can find some of those.

win

 

[boonerings]

For those high value pieces, try using a mayonnaise jar filled with mayonnaise.

 

[fire&ice]

When our house was broken into, the crooks went through the pantry & the refridgerator. I had an envelope marked "cash" in my drawer. It was tossed on the ground w/ all the cash in it. Something to be said about hiding in plain site. They rifled through my underwear drawers & tossed them.

Just a spin on where *they* did look.

 

[caratgirl]

I had that problem when on a cruise recently. They had no 'in-room' safe, and although I did put most of my jewelry in their 'common' safe at the front desk, I still felt leery putting my engagement ring in there when we disembarked in Ensenada. So, I washed my ring really well and put it into some goopy white face cream that I don't like very much. It was cushioned very nicely and quite safe, albeit very messy to clean up afterwards!

 

[goldenringlets]

Hmmm. I was robbed (burgled) in a hotel in San Diego of jewelry that was not gem-quality, but nonetheless could not be replaced (made for me by an Arctic Eskimo artisan, and silver jewelry purchased in Siberia). I'm not sure which hurt more - the loss of the jewelry, or the poor way in which the management treated us (two graduate students). Now I routinely lock all valuables (even cosmetics, which were also stolen) in my suitcase, at all times, even for the shortest departure from my room. Obviously, the whole suitcase could go. When using a safe deposit box, I would recommend not letting the management see what's going in; for instance, cash should be in sealed envelope. This proved useful when I was doing pro bono work in Bogota, notoriously unsafe, and, in gratitude, was given an emerald ring!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/2/2004 6:45:04 PM caratgirl wrote:

I still felt leery putting my engagement ring in there when we disembarked in Ensenada. !

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Wouldn't the safest place for your ring be on your finger?

 

[Jennifer5973]

My aunt was robbed and they tore through cereal boxes, food containers, and dumped out drawers into bags and carried it out (presumably to be checked for valuables later)...They had just moved into their house and when people on the street (in an affluent neighborhood, mind you) saw men moving out stuff--including furniture and rolled up persian rugs--they thought nothing of it.

My husband was also a prosecutor before going into private practice, and he has said that if it a professional job, they will hit your house when they know you can be relied on to NOT be there for a few hours, and go through or take items like shampoo bottles, food jars, etc. becasue professionals are hip to these tricks. A spontaneous, non-professional (some kid looking for drug money, for example) will race into the house and go to the obvious places first--the bedroom and any desk/den-- to grab what's in jewelry boxes, drawers, etc., sening maybe 3-5 minutes total, esp. if there is an alarm going off.

I keep a lot of my stuff in a safety deposit box in the bank and rotate things. It's not the most convenient option but my stuff is safe. I insure the larger items but to insure everything would cost a fortune and the $40 a year for the bank box is better for me (bank branch is down the steet). Plus, insurance can't replace the sentimental value of things or one-of-a-kind items.

Growing up, my mom hid her "stash" in a cosemtics bag that was hidden under a plank of the flooring in the attic. This seemed to be very effective, although we were never robbed. i can't imagine anyone lifting up the floorboards in a huge walk-up attic... And of course, TELL NO ONE where this stuff is except very close family and MAYBE your best friend. My husband told me that so often that the elaborate robberies are inside jobs...It's mean to say but trust no one.

Robbers don't like noise--get a big dog with a big mouth (from your local shelter of course

)

 

[Jennifer5973]

Of course, we're all here on the WORLD WIDE WEB with our stuff in pictures etc... I love Pscope but we should all be careful with personal info.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/3/2004 10:18:06 AM Jennifer5973 wrote:

And of course, TELL NO ONE where this stuff is except very close family and MAYBE your best friend. My husband told me that so often that the elaborate robberies are inside jobs...It's mean to say but trust no one.

Robbers don't like noise--get a big dog with a big mouth (from your local shelter of course

)
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That is why I haven't told anyone of my secret hiding place. I have told my best friend in case hubby & I die in a common accident.

Mike Cross wrote a song about Grandma's old milkjugs. They were willed to a Grandson. He thought her to be a crazy coot. He burned them. After the fire he found out they contained all of G'ma's money. So, someone does need to know & be careful when going through estates. I attended an auction where at the last minute just before a dresser was to be auctioned off, a secret drawer was found full of some very nice jewelry - common in victorian pieces.

Great Advice, Jen! Thanks. The most upsetting thing about the break-in was the sense of violation. I washed all my underwear. Yuck.

As far as when I travel, I call ahead about the safe. If none, then I only take stuff that is scheduled or I wouldn't be too broken to loose. If no safe, I hide the stuff in the back middle of the suitcase. Not real creative - but I've been lucky so far. Most of my finer pieces are on my body. The silver tends to fall under the radar.

 

[diamondlil]

We had our house broken into when I was about 10 years old. Even at that young age, I felt a terrible violation. The thieves were obviously only looking for cash. Nothing was destroyed, but they actually went through each of my birthday cards I had in my bedroom, removed the dollar bills, and put the cards back in the envelopes!!!! They went through desk drawers and then closed them. They took a huge jar of change my brother had in his room -- that must have been heavy. When we returned from our vacation, it was not until the following day we realized what happened when we found the broken pane of glass on the laundry room door in the back of the house (keyed dead bolt locks were not common and no one I knew had an alarm in those days). The police took a report and said it was probably teenagers who knew we were away on vacation. We were very lucky. Now 30 years later, I still remember those feelings. I can remember looking at each of my older brother's friends wondering if they could be "the one" who did it. I hope I never go through that again.




As far as my jewelry is concerned, I have the larger pieces insured with separate riders (Chubb). Unfortunately, the sentimental value of my original plain gold wedding ring or my grandmother's jewelry can never be replaced.




My mother said she kept her stash in a heat vent. A quick in-and-out robber would not have time to search all the vents in the house. I like the attic idea. It would probably be a good idea to tell one close friend/family member though, just in case.




Diamondlil

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Interesting thread. Or more like, thought provoking thread as I'm now wondering where I should be hiding my jewelery!

Regarding travel, I just don't think it's wise to travel with expensive pieces. A relative of my husband had over $7,000 in items stolen when she was on a business trip and I doubt the people she was conducting business with noticing her jewelry as much as SHE will miss it. . .the trade off/risk involved doesn't seem worth it.

It makes more sense to wear one nice pair of earrings the entire time, maybe a nice watch, if you're a watch wearer, bracelet, etc., that can be kept on the whole time, even in the shower. Or, better yet, if you do travel a lot, buy a nice earring/necklace set that is easily replaceable, unsentimental, that you can wear with each trip that costs less than $1,000!

Michelle

 

[hoorray]

This is a good thread.

I tend to agree with Michellecarmen. When traveling, I take only what I will wear daily unless we have fancy/special things scheduled. If I'm in a fairly safe city, I tend to carry what I'm not wearing with me, rather than leave them in the room if there is no safe. (It's not a very good solution in general, and in some cities, really would not be smart. )

At home, I have a fireproof floor safe that weighs about 100 lbs. You can bolt it to the floor, but we haven't. Someone could take the whole thing, but it is very cumbersome. I don't know how easy it would be for them to pick the combo lock quickly as the alternative. It feels good tho to have important papers, sentimental things, and my non-everyday jewelery locked up.

 

[strmrdr]

Hotel:
Best thing to do is leave it at home.
In your suitcase is the worst place.
Second best is of course a safe or on your person.
If there is a recliner in the room stuffed into it is a good place.
Since the majority of burglars will be men putting them covered in with female products will be somewhat effective.

True story:
A guy was robbing local factories of expensive stuff they couldn’t figure out how he was doing it. They had roving guard patrols in the buildings at night and he still did it.
One of the buildings had a female guard and that’s how he got caught.
Seems he would hide in the women’s bathroom when he heard a guard coming after sneaking in during the day and would leave in the morning after the doors were unlocked.
The guys never checked the women’s bathroom of a supposed to be empty building and when asked about it they were shocked that someone even suggested that they should have been going in there.
I was working for the security company at the time while going to college but not at that place.

Home:
Again safe bolted to something solid.
Attic or someplace with a lot of nocks and crannies just make sure it isn’t the only clean spot in the room.
Basements are good, above a dropped ceiling or on top of the wall in an open ceiling area.
A friend keeps his money in the platform under his dogs’ bed.
With 2 100+ pound dogs I don’t think anyone will be looking there.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Generally I don't take anything I would worry about loosing, or I'm wearing it. I have left stuff locked in the car out of sight too since the car has a security system. But, I'm a hide in plain sight person. I've stuck things at the bottom of the toiletries bag and intentionally left it open. I also leave the bags open to full view as well. Haven't had anything go missing in a hotel yet. Knock on wood!

Lop will enjoy a good "Safe" story.

A store I used to work for was owned by people that had 4 stores in our area. One morning we were told someone had robbed one of our sister stores. The thieves went in thru a smaller window that had been left off the security system for some reason. Sound like an inside job?? Anyway, the thieves really really wanted the money in the safe. 3.5'x3.5', very heavy, a 2 key lock exterior door, then a combination lock door inside. Evidently, the thieves couldn't crack the safe. They dared not take the safe out a door lest they set off the security system. So they lugged the safe to the small window, hoisted it up, and pushed it out the window. It dropped on the parking lot with such force it dented the pavement. The police found the opened safe several days later about 5 miles from the store.

The kicker,..... They got all of $312 in cash. $78 start-up money in each of the 4 cash register drawers. The day's receipts had been taken to the bank in a night deposit!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/3/2004 10:24:40 PM pqcollectibles wrote:

I've stuck things at the bottom of the toiletries bag and intentionally left it open. I also leave the bags open to full view as well. Haven't had anything go missing in a hotel yet. Knock on wood!

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I travel quite a bit. PQ - I'm with you on that one. If you leave it out, crooks will think it is not valuable. No one has ever gone through my open suitcase. Sorry, stmdr, a mattress/couch is the worst place to put valuables. On more than one occassion I have misplaced something of value in the sofa to find it reappear on the table next to it (thanks to an honest housekeeper).

I would think twice about giving your valuables in the care of the front desk. On two occassions while traveling, the safe was compromised.

The best place is on your person. In cold weather, I always wear a big coat & gloves while walking the "streets". In hot weather, I turn my rings around & walk w/ my fingers curled. And, of course, walk w/ confidence & stride. Heck, I'm a big believer in wearing black. And, of course, don't go places that you are uncomfortable in.

I asked my insurance company about a safe. Their response was interesting. It's great in case of fire. But, unless it was a supervised installation - of certain quality, blah blah blah, my insurance company did not consider my jewelry "vaulted". Some crooks look for safes & target them. They said the safest place was a safe deposit box.

Nothing is full proof. But, please lock your doors even if you go out to garden. You can not believe how many theft/violation stories I have heard. In our city house, I lock the doors to walk the pups.

The idiots that broke into our house were looking for jewelry w/ seemingly intrinsic value, ELECTRONICS of any kind & cash in unlikely places (i.e. pantry).

Isn't Kayla's hubby a police detective. Maybe she has some good pointers via osmosis.

Stay safe!

 

[Jennifer5973]

Fire& Ice, this is more great advice and it echoes a lot of what my former D.A. husband and our investigator/police friends have said throughut the years.

Always, always lock your doors... even in the suburbs, even to walk to dog or go get the mail. And when travelling, just take one or two things and keep it on your person. i am going away on business to New Orleans in a few weeks, and I am already just planning to take a couple of simple things to wear all the time--one of my more modest wedding bands (Patty are you listening?

) and a simple pair of earrings. it's just not worth being a target.

My heart goes out to all those who have had robberies/break-ins. I live in fear of that, not so much the loss as much as the violation.

All we can do is be smart, take the common sense precautions like those outlined here, and live life. Hell, I'm nervous about flying but I have made a decision not to stop doing things. This event is a big deal for me--the only non-senior executive level person invited, so I am going!

 

[hoorray]

Well PQ, I guess I've always know the safe isn't foolproof, but it is nice for fire safety. It also creates one safe place for all important docs, and keeps some of my valuables locked up, avoiding casual theft. (We've had lots of working people in the house since we built it a couple of years ago, and it's just nice to have it all put away.)

I worry more about theft while traveling than at home. I think in-room safes should become like haridryers and irons -- standard in all rooms.

 

[strmrdr]

I wasnt clear enough in my reply about the recliner.
A lot of them have open springs on the bottom of the seat part that makes a nice hiding place.
A crook may feel around under there a little but might not turn it over.

 

[pqcollectibles]

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On 1/4/2004 1:22:28 PM lop wrote:

Well PQ, I guess I've always know the safe isn't foolproof, but it is nice for fire safety. It also creates one safe place for all important docs, and keeps some of my valuables locked up, avoiding casual theft. (We've had lots of working people in the house since we built it a couple of years ago, and it's just nice to have it all put away.)

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I didn't mean for you to get the feeling I thought a home fire safe is a bad idea. I've been thinking we should get one for the same reasons you did. Papers and to prevent easy pickin's. I was just sharing a life experience.

I still marvel at how they could have hoisted that safe high enough to get it out the window. And the window was small. Still amazed the safe fit through it. And then to leave a dent in the parking lot!

Odd how memories pop out with the mention of an object.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/4/2004 3:23:12 PM pqcollectibles wrote:

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On 1/4/2004 1:22:28 PM lop wrote:

--

I didn't mean for you to get the feeling I thought a home fire safe is a bad idea. I've been thinking we should get one for the same reasons you did. Papers and to prevent easy pickin's. I was just sharing a life experience.

I still marvel at how they could have hoisted that safe high enough to get it out the window. And the window was small. Still amazed the safe fit through it. And then to leave a dent in the parking lot!

Odd how memories pop out with the mention of an object.

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I'm kinda on the fence w/ this whole safe thing. It certainly has it's pluses. We keep important documents in our Safety deposit box. But, can't have anything on hand at the drop of the hat - same with my jewelry.

Bottom line w/ people I have talked to:

Safe is great for fire. (as Lop noted)
Safe is great for idle comings & goings of workers (as Lop noted), unknowns (like the babysitter w/ the bad boyfriend), etc.
But - can be a "safe" target. Jury is split on this one. While detering your average dope, it's an awfully appealing target. Where there is a will there is a way.

Personally, we toy with the idea frequently. Maybe a poll would be in order. Do you have a safe & why?

 

[diamondlil]

A safe is one of those items that has been on my "mental list" for quite a while. Although it would not be protection against a burglar since they could take off with the thing, it would certainly be good protection against fire for those papers/items you would prefer not to keep at the bank deposit box (as well as workers/babysitters with sticky fingers). I'll certainly be looking into this more in the near future.

Diamondlil

 

[hoorray]

PQ -- they most have been strong guys. I can't lift our safe off the ground, much less out a window.

I guess a safe would be an obvious target. However, I figure that good thieves are going to find the valuables if they are in the house. I want them to have to work for it at least!

It's sort of ironic tho -- I was going through the safe the other day and the majority of the jewelery in there is worthless -- just sentimental from my youth or whatever. The good stuff was mostly out since I've worn a lot of it on and off lately. It's just a good depository. I assume if we tried we could make it more secure by hiding it somewhere less obvious and bolting it down.

Diamondlil -- you can get a good fire proof safe at places like Costco or Office Depot for not too much $$. Getting more extravagant than that would probably require a locksmith/safe specialist.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I was wanting a home fire safe for those times you have to keep something at home. When we refinanced our house, I had to gather a ton of paperwork, and I held on to it all (just in case) for nearly 3 weeks. Then I kept forgetting to run by the bank to put it all back.

Something important comes in the mail and you don't want to drop everything to run to the bank to stow it.

Or I get out my really nice jewelry to wear for the holidays. You know you're going to have it at home for maybe a couple weeks or more going to parties and such.

I don't have babysitters anymore, but there is always a parade of teens in and out. Fortunately, my kids' friends are good kids, but there are times when I don't know the friend of a friend that tags along. Occassionally when I am out shopping, or looking thru sale ads, I see a home safe and think, "We should get one of those." But I just haven't gotten around to it.

This would make a good poll topic!

 

[diamondlil]

Thanks, Lop. I'm moving the safe up in my priority list. I do think it is a good idea to have one for all those reasons you all have stated.




Diamondlil

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/4/2004 8:51:11 PM pqcollectibles wrote:


I don't have babysitters anymore, but there is always a parade of teens in and out. Fortunately, my kids' friends are good kids, but there are times when I don't know the friend of a friend that tags along. Occassionally when I am out shopping, or looking thru sale ads, I see a home safe and think, 'We should get one of those.' But I just haven't gotten around to it.

This would make a good poll topic!

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Makes alot of sense used in conjunction w/ safety dep. box. A nice safe holding place.

The ones that Lop is refering to at the Costco are especially nice w/ a good price. Been eyeing them - just have to make a conscious decision to bring the dolly.

 

[diamondlil]

LOL, you're at least one step ahead of me f&i. I had not thought of that . . . yet.




Diamondlil