Second insurance claim. Help.

[samantha051]

I got my ring in 2001 and it severely chipped in '07. We have it insured with state farm and took a cash payout to replace it. I just noticed a minor chip in the new diamond. I am nervous about making another claim in just 5 years -2 claims in just under 10 years. This chip is not noticeable to the naked eye but it snags your fingernail if you run your finger across it. That is how the other chip started and then progressively got larger. I am wondering if I should just wait and see if this chip gets larger before filing a claim. My biggest concern is being dropped by state farm. I would hate to have my ring stolen or loose it and not have coverage because I filed a claim on this tiny chip. Any suggestions or similar stories?

 

[minmin001]

can it be polished out?

 

[OcnGypZ]

I would look at having it polished out first. Then I'd consider two things... resetting the stone to protect the girdle or limiting your wear of the stone.

 

[ame]

I dare ask....what are you doing with your hands while you wear your ring that you've chipped stones twice?

 

[samantha051]

I dare ask....what are you doing with your hands while you wear your ring that you've chipped stones twice?

Nothing exciting. I was doing laundry and caught my ring on the lip of our stainless tub washing machine with the first diamond. I'm not sure how this one chipped. I am sure it was when doing something equally mundane. I'm a stay at home mom to 3 kids under 5.

It is a 1.8 ct stone in a 1/2 bezel setting. It has a fairly high profile and the majority of the girdle is exposed. I love love love the setting but if I keep damaging diamonds, I might have to think about 'retiring' it for something less exposed.

Polishing it out is a good option. I will talk to our jeweler to see if that is possible. This particular chip is more of a crack, I guess. Deeper than it is wide - which helps make it less noticeable but I'm sure is doing nothing for the stability of the stone.

 

[ame]

I personally would stop wearing your ring doing chores, vs just resetting it differently. There's not really a setting that's going to protect it 100% of the time from whacks, but not wearing it while working with your hands is a good way to make sure it doesn't happen.

Before you make a claim, see about polishing, and if that's not an option, then make the claim and get a replacement, but know that youll have to be very careful with the new one.

 

[Amys Bling]

I would look at having it polished out first. Then I'd consider two things... resetting the stone to protect the girdle or limiting your wear of the stone.

This is the route I would go..

 

[Dreamer_D]

I suggest no longer wearing it when doing chores.

As for being dropped by your insurance, why not call and find out where they stand first? I mean, you are paying for insurance for this reason. I don't see why they would drop you for two claims in that long period of time.

ETA: If they drop you, you can get insurance elsewhere. When I got my Jewelers Mutual policy they did not ask about my history of insurance coverage or claims.

 

[samantha051]

It is good to know I may be able to find other insurance.

At this stage in my life, if I didn't wear it while doing chores, I would never get to wear it. I do take it off when dealing with harsh chemicals but other than that, I wear it all the time. Guess I will need to find a safe place to keep it up away from my band of tiny thieves.

 

[Dreamer_D]

It is good to know I may be able to find other insurance.

At this stage in my life, if I didn't wear it while doing chores, I would never get to wear it. I do take it off when dealing with harsh chemicals but other than that, I wear it all the time. Guess I will need to find a safe place to keep it up away from my band of tiny thieves.

I honestly think your insurance co will not drop you from this. Chips are not an indication of fraud or something, like a total loss twice in a few years might be. I just think what is the frigging point of insurance if you cannot make a claim? The fact that insurers do not ask anything about your prior history of claims makes me think they do not care about those things They ask about things they care about when it comes to calculating risk, so clearly that is not an issue. I would make the claim personally and if they drop you, just get it elsewhere.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am also wondering if your stone has a really thin girdle or has a shallow crown. Do you have the GIA (or other lab) report giving the measurements of the stone?

You really should probably only wear the rings when going out. Because it really creates a lot of opportunity for damage when loading and unloading dishes in the dishwasher, clothes from the washer/dryer, cooking, etc. I really don't wear mine at all when doing those kinds of things. Diamonds unfortunately aren't indestructible. I hope the chip can be polished out, but if not, I would make the claim.

 

[slksapphire]

call your state farm agent and ask.

i had homeowners insurance (coincidentally with state farm) and filed a claim due to smoke damage to our apartment due to a fire next door (clearly not our fault). about 5 years later i needed to make another claim bc the ceiling of my shower caved in (faulty construction, again clearly not our fault). i asked for an "off the record" discussion w our agent, and he said the risk of getting dropped was pretty high so we ate the $10,000 cost of fixing the shower ourselves.

good luck.

 

[denverappraiser]

It's certainly possible that they will cancel you for having too many claims. Then again, this is what you have insurance for. If you're unwilling to file a legitimate claim, why are you paying the premium? Why don't you drop THEM?

This is one of the big reason for using a stand alone style policy that isn't attached to your homeowners policy. They can and will drop you for too many claims just like the homeowners companies but the penalty to you is a lot less.

 

[Amys Bling]

It's certainly possible that they will cancel you for having too many claims. Then again, this is what you have insurance for. If you're unwilling to file a legitimate claim, why are you paying the premium? Why don't you drop THEM?

This is one of the big reason for using a stand alone style policy that isn't attached to your homeowners policy. They can and will drop you for too many claims just like the homeowners companies but the penalty to you is a lot less.

You are persuading me into a stand alone policy...

 

[slksapphire]

just to let you know, there is a website that consolidates ALL of your insurance claims of ANY type (car, home, etc, though i don't know if it includes independent jewelry insurance). i don't remember what it's called but you should be able to find it through google. you can look yourself up ...

i've been told that insurers use that website when deciding to approve new policies. the risk is NOT that state farm (or any other insurer) drops you now; it's that no other insurer will provide insurance for a reasonable price. really stinks, right?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It's certainly possible that they will cancel you for having too many claims. Then again, this is what you have insurance for. If you're unwilling to file a legitimate claim, why are you paying the premium? Why don't you drop THEM?

This is one of the big reason for using a stand alone style policy that isn't attached to your homeowners policy. They can and will drop you for too many claims just like the homeowners companies but the penalty to you is a lot less.

This is VERY important and why I have my jewelry on a separate jewelry policy!

 

[slksapphire]

found the insurance claims database: it is called CLUE.

http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/your-insurance-score/your-clue-insurance-report-matters/

 

[CharmyPoo]

Great advice here but I would also consider not wearing your rings when doing chores. I actually take my rings off as soon as I get home. I find it more comfortable that way. My rings are in great condition but my hubby's rings are all roughed up because he never takes it off.

 

[packrat]

They will penalize you or drop you for too many claims, regardless if it's home/auto/personal articles policy. They'll go by the amount you've paid in to insurance and what they've paid out in claims, and if it gets to a certain percentage, that's it. Doesn't matter if they are things out of your control or not-a hail storm/tornado one year and then three years later faulty rental water softener flood damage resulted in a huge increase in our deductible and the "talk" about what happens if there are other claims. Those are the ONLY two things we've had since we bought the HO policy in 2001, and I've been w/the company for auto/life for 20 years but that doesn't matter. I would switch to JM, personally, and just try to be more careful. It really is true that you have to have insurance, but you can't use it.

 

[canuk-gal]

It is good to know I may be able to find other insurance.

At this stage in my life, if I didn't wear it while doing chores, I would never get to wear it. I do take it off when dealing with harsh chemicals but other than that, I wear it all the time. Guess I will need to find a safe place to keep it up away from my band of tiny thieves.

Can you wear rubber gloves--anything to protect your rings...

cheers--Sharon