Let's talk jewelry safes

[BlingDreams]

This thread makes my head spin. In the last two years, I have been busy decluttering and donating old furniture and stuffs, so as to get myself ready to move someday (for purpose of downsizing). Last thing I want is to stress over the trouble of getting rid of a heavy safe.

Best solution is to keep the bare minimum jewelry at home.

And have to make a trip to my safety deposit box every time I want to swap out my jewelry? No thanks. I’d rather invest in a safe and, if I move, gift it to the new owners.

Glad it works for you though.

 

[FancyDiamond]

And have to make a trip to my safety deposit box every time I want to swap out my jewelry? No thanks. I’d rather invest in a safe and, if I move, gift it to the new owners.

Glad it works for you though.

Sorry if I offended you with my comments.
Different people have different preference and lifestyle. I am an average, retired person, who thinks less is more in terms of “baggages”. I want less material things to have to protect and maintain. Instead of having to address extra worries and concern, I prefer to spend time traveling and enjoying my family (especially grandchildren).
In my case, my bank is nearby, so I do not mind running to the bank to swap out jewelry sets or store them while I go on very long vacations.
I really felt overwhelmed when I started to think about having to unload YET another big item. In my humble neighborhood, home buyers frown upon inheriting heavy items from previous owners. Likewise, my brother-in-law asked me if I wanted to have his huge safe from his business office when he was moving his downtown office. The safe he had was the heavy duty type similar to the one in one of the poster’s photo.
For you, just for convenience, you can justify having one. If you happen to move, you can always pay someone to move your safe.

 

[Arcadian]

Layers and layers of protection. We have 13 cameras around the parameter of our home; alarm systems that include glass break detectors, and 2 safes bolted into the foundation. Oh, not to forget - our alarm system on "immediate dispatch" with the police. This is all we can do after an attempted burglary back in November. And when we are out of town, all cash and jewels go to the bank safe deposit box.

Layers are indeed needed. By nature of what I do for a living, I have to have layers. I don't really like to talk about those layers...lol

 

[WinkHPD]

Maybe my current methods are better than a safe, then!

Please do not be complacent about this. I used to do a lot of insurance replacement work and the damage that thieves often do to a house in their quest for quick discovery is appalling.

I am not saying that it will not help, but it may not be enough. Get a real safe if you have real valuables. Even with a real safe, keep them insured!

Wink

 

[luv2sparkle]

@Karl, I just want to say thank you for the detailed information you provided, and I will indeed look into getting a used safe. I would not have even thought that possible had you not suggested it.

@FancyDiamond, I don't think you offended anyone. I totally understand where you are coming from but many of us here really just want to wear our jewelry instead of keeping it in a safe. I can't tell you how many times, in mulling this safe issue over in my mind, I have thought to myself that I should just get rid of 95% of what I own. Most of the time I pretty much just wear the same thing. But I enjoy pulling out something I haven't worn in a long time and wearing it again. I wouldn't do that if it was all in a safe deposit box, and I think I would miss it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Please do not be complacent about this. I used to do a lot of insurance replacement work and the damage that thieves often do to a house in their quest for quick discovery is appalling.

I am not saying that it will not help, but it may not be enough. Get a real safe if you have real valuables. Even with a real safe, keep them insured!

Wink

I think many of us with long term, fine jewelry collections do not insure every item. We basically self-insure a certain amount, thus the need to have good protection. I am all for getting a gunsafe to hold various items, but we haven't yet because I'd want to redo our master br closet and design it with that in mind. I am just not ready to do that yet unless I can find one small enough to put in another closet downstairs (which would be my preference).

 

[WinkHPD]

I think many of us with long term, fine jewelry collections do not insure every item. We basically self-insure a certain amount, thus the need to have good protection. I am all for getting a gunsafe to hold various items, but we haven't yet because I'd want to redo our master br closet and design it with that in mind. I am just not ready to do that yet unless I can find one small enough to put in another closet downstairs (which would be my preference).

I was very lucky when I bought my house. Without planning for it, I have a concrete floor in the downstairs of my home. The house is carved into the side of a small hill so that the upstairs in back is ground level to my back yard.

Because of this, I had a safe mover move a three thousand pound 5 foot plus tall safe into the house, with no worries about weight limits on the second floor. It is a full TL-30 rated safe with both combination and a key lock with a very special key needed after the combination is turned.

Since all but some of my wife's jewelry is kept in an even more secure location, complete with sixteen high quality videos cameras, motion detectors, and multiple ways of notifying the police, it's main function now is fire protection for all of our important documents.

When you are securing your guns and your jewelry, please remember to secure important documents, like birth certificates, passports, any stock certificates you might have, wills, and tax information.

Wink

 

[missy]

I think many of us with long term, fine jewelry collections do not insure every item. We basically self-insure a certain amount, thus the need to have good protection. I am all for getting a gunsafe to hold various items, but we haven't yet because I'd want to redo our master br closet and design it with that in mind. I am just not ready to do that yet unless I can find one small enough to put in another closet downstairs (which would be my preference).

Yes exactly. I have none of my jewelry insured except for Bea. It would be cost prohibitive for me to insure each piece. So I insure it the best way I can with multiple levels of security. And I like having it all available to me whenever I want a specific piece so the safe option works for me. Nothing is foolproof and nothing is perfect. We just all do what we can and what makes sense for each individual. No one size fits all.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

@Wink Yes, I am definitely concerned about keeping important documents safe, also. I have located a security/locksmith company a half hour away that carries AMSEC and other good brands. I need someone who can deliver and install. I will also discuss increasing home security. Will pay them a visit soon!

 

[luv2sparkle]

I found a local So. Cal company who deals in used a second safes and also a company that can make it hidden in my home!

 

[BlingDreams]

Since all but some of my wife's jewelry is kept in an even more secure location, complete with sixteen high quality videos cameras, motion detectors, and multiple ways of notifying the police, it's main function now is fire protection for all of our important documents.

Wink

Pretty please, can I see your wife's collection that is worthy of such protection??!!!

 

[autumngems]

I have an 800 lb Gun safe, good luck getting it out,
took 4 men to get it in and that was empty

 

[BlingDreams]

I have an 800 lb Gun safe, good luck getting it out,
took 4 men to get it in and that was empty

How is it structured inside? Is it easy to organize and find your jewels or do you just have boxes stacked everywhere?

 

[luv2sparkle]

While it cannot be carried out, it doesn’t mean that it cannot be easily broken into. It doesn’t seem tthat have a TL rating. Did ou watch he video that Karl posted? A lot of these safes that are heavy can opened easily with a rare earth magnet. For your own safety I would check it. It would deter a thief who wasn’t expecting it, most likely.

 

[autumngems]

Ilikeshiney,
That pic is not my safe, but something similar, mine is laid out like this inside only larger, he stacks his his guns and I use the shelves for my boxes of gems and jewelry. He's very anal so he researched the safest one he could fund for fire, theft and etc.

 

[daneshpastry]

This thread makes my head spin. In the last two years, I have been busy decluttering and donating old furniture and stuffs, so as to get myself ready to move someday (for purpose of downsizing). Last thing I want is to stress over the trouble of getting rid of a heavy safe.

Best solution is to keep the bare minimum jewelry at home.

Or wear all of it at the same time, all the time.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I went to the security company today, and wow, those safes were HUGE!!! It looked like they discounted off retail, but delivery and installation can be around $500 depending on how large a safe you buy and where it goes in your home!

I was mainly looking at gun safes just to have a multi-purpose safe, but wow, I don't want one of those huge things taking up so much of my closet!!! I was hoping to put a smaller one in a hall closet, but none of these would fit. So I am kind of uncertain what to do. They had good brands including AMSEC. Very impressive and definitely safes that you'd sell with your home.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I was mainly looking at gun safes just to have a multi-purpose safe, but wow, I don't want one of those huge things taking up so much of my closet!!! I was hoping to put a smaller one in a hall closet, but none of these would fit. So I am kind of uncertain what to do. They had good brands including AMSEC. Very impressive and definitely safes that you'd sell with your home.

DS
You should buy a small restored antique safe. These type of safes are like 10" thick all the way around. They are the best burglary safe available with no electronic dial which can fail. Most of the coin shops use these type of safes to store their gold bullions.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That's beautiful. @Dancing Fire! But gosh, I'd hate to think of the added cost of those due to being rare and antiques! I found out my BIL has a Liberty gun safe as he has an extensive collection. But all of those are too big. I have found just one AMSAFE that is small enough, but it only has 30 minutes of fire protection which seems a little inadequate.

 

[Karl_K]

DS
You should buy a small restored antique safe. These type of safes are like 10" thick all the way around. They are the best burglary safe available with no electronic dial which can fail. Most of the coin shops use these type of safes to store their gold bullions.

kewl safe!!!
While these old safes look impressive by modern standards most would only be of RSC at best and most would be lower rated.
They lack hardened anti-drill plates and relockers.
The locksets are also somewhat easier to defeat than more modern sets. S&g makes a drop in lockset for them in a group 2 rating.
They are also not fire resistant.
Many are made from cast iron so they shatter if hit hard.
A cordless drill with a carbide bit and a bore scope would make quick work of them.

 

[PintoBean]

I've been sinking about this for a bit now. If it were me I'd get a safety deposit box at the bank for the jewelry I rarely wear.

Then I'd get the best fireproof safe I can for home. Size would be dictated by what I imagine I'd want to put in there, (jewelry, documents, dead bodies...). I feel like if someone's gonna go to the trouble and breaking into your home and then into your safe you have bigger things to worry about.

 

[mommylawyer]

Help! The keypad on my Liberty Safe Centurion 12 crapped out. It was giving trouble, so I changed the battery. When I put the new battery in, it made a crackling sound and stopped working. Do I need to replace the key pad? I tried several different batteries so that's not the issue. It acts weird when it comes in contact with the battery--the whole back of the keypad turns red. Ugh! This is so frustrating. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? The safe is open, BTW, thank goodness. I already took the back panel off and I have a rotobolt locking mechanism.