Traveling with your bling, do you worry?

[MMtwo]

As I was showing some people my engagement ring project, a few of them said a big beautiful diamond ring would cause them to worry about robbery. As one young lady said "On my street that would get you jumped!". That shocked me.

I work in a profession that can put me near people who might be tempted to do bad things. I don't feel worried especially (my ring will be a little over 1 ct), but maybe I should think this over and not take it with me on days I am "on the street" with outreach (think social work).
I looked for a thread addressing this and did not see one.

Sooo, for the sake of science:
Do you ever leave the ring-bling at home?
Did you get a cz type copy made?
Do you palm the diamond when walking outside at night? (my aunt's old trick)

Thanks in advance

 

[athenaworth]

Thankfully I live near Beverly Hills and work right in the heart of it so my ring pales in comparision to 80% of the rest of the people here, but if I am in a not-so-great area, I palm it. I usually do that anyway because I walk like George Jefferson and have smacked the heck out of my hands pretty much all of the time.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I work in the social services field and NEVER wore my e-ring or any other flashy jewelry to work. For me it isn't really about fear of it being stolen, it was about not having any distractions between my patients and my work. Most the people I work with are broke. I feel it is unkind to drip myself with jewelry. It never felt appropriate in my line of work. That being said I have had co-workers who wear VERY large E-rings. To each their own.

 

[baby monster]

I definitely adjust my jewelry depending to where I am. Safety is always I think about. It's just not good to tempt fate even if your pieces are fully insured. I have travel cz pieces and would never travel with my nice items. If I'm going to late dinner with gfs, I'll scale down or swap out for costume fun pieces.

If you're in social services, I'd be more conscious of your clients' circumstances and the fact that some of them may talk about your bling to their not so nice friends in urgent need of money.

 

[AprilBaby]

I don't wear mine out of the country. I know insurance would cover it but my DD would never inherit it if it was lost. I get some fun and different style CZ to wear to travel.

 

[arkieb1]

It depends where I am and where I am going. There are countries where wearing something like it would be inviting trouble, others where no-one worries. It also depends on how I am travelling. Private cars and cabs usually is O.K if I am going to be using lots of public transport in not so great areas then wearing lots of bling IS inviting trouble.

 

[kenny]

I don't understand wearing a replicas or CZs.

Sure, your real jewelry is safe, but you are just as likely to be robbed, which may involve violence, even murder.

 

[jaysonsmom]

If traveling for work (alone), I leave my "big" bling home, and wear jewelry with barely there tiny melee or plain bands etc.

If I'm traveling for fun, with family, it's usually on cruises/resort type of places, and I wear my usual bling. Feel safer with dh around, and other tourists wearing similar size bling,whether their's is real or not I have no idea. Mine is.

 

[justginger]

I don't understand wearing a replicas or CZs.

Sure, your real jewelry is safe, but you are just as likely to be robbed, which may involve violence, even murder.

This is always my thought too - being robbed, to me, is at less about what may potentially be lost, and far more about the emotional and physical health risk.

I haven't yet been anywhere I felt like I needed to be bling-free, but those places definitely exist on my bucket list. Our 2014 holiday will be bling-free to do being considerate of those who are struggling, and the following holiday will be bling-free due to actual safety risks. I will not be purchasing a 'travel' ring, and will wear a plain gold band instead.

 

[stracci2000]

When traveling, I wear some basic sterling silver pieces. Just in case I were to lose something, it wouldn't be crying over it.
I learned that lesson when I lost a favorite diamond hoop earring on Kauai. I was kicking myself later for wearing those earrings in the first place.
I dont wear my diamonds on vacation now, they stay in the safety deposit box. Otherwise, I wear them every day.

 

[luv2sparkle]

It depends on where I am going. If I am going to a not great city with more crime, I would think about it. We have only travelled in the US since I got my upgrade and I haven't worried about it. We usually spend a couple weeks at the beach in our 5th wheel trailer and I usually bring pretty much all my favorite pieces, which comes out to be quite a lot. I feel totally ok about doing that.

When we travel in the future, I will probably bring my studs and a necklace and wear a cz ring. I guess the fear is not so much the robbery but the loss of the piece. It wouldn't be a crazy big ring though. Or I might wear the ring I wore for 25 years. I still love it but the center stone is .75 and it doesn't seem at all flashy to me.

 

[texaskj]

I never travel (except to my parents' house) with anything I wouldn't mind not coming home with.

 

[ForteKitty]

I don't understand wearing a replicas or CZs.

Sure, your real jewelry is safe, but you are just as likely to be robbed, which may involve violence, even murder.

I bring CZs when the place I visit is safe and I want blingage, but I just don't want to risk losing or breaking it because my oec wouldn't be replaceable. I'm clumsy and hard on my hands, and I've chipped all sorts of gems and even diamonds. I wouldn't want to break it if I happen to fall and land some rocks on a hike, or smash my hand against jaggedy lava because I tripped. (both happened on a relatively flat path) If the location is not that safe, even the cz stays home. I don't even bring real stuff with me on cruises because we're active and I don't want to leave them in the room safe, and I certainly don't want to wear them while snorkeling or zip lining. Bringing fakes allows me to have some bling at dinner!

 

[lioness]

I don't understand wearing a replicas or CZs.

Sure, your real jewelry is safe, but you are just as likely to be robbed, which may involve violence, even murder.

Yes. +1

 

[missy]

I wear my bling. It's not that I am oblivious but I am smart. I turn my rings in when on the subway and cover my necklace with a scarf or place it under my shirt if I am wearing one etc.

Bling is meant to be enjoyed and that's what I am doing. I live in NYC so it's definitely more of a risk here than in a small town I think but if I didn't wear it when/where there was a risk I would never wear it yanno?

Plus my OEC ER is insured but none of my other jewelry is because I had to make choices otherwise all my bling money would be spent on insurance so I am taking a calculated risk. Risk reward. Different for everyone.

 

[JewelFreak]

Kenny's right.

 

[vc10um]

I 100% agree with kenny, and for that reason I don't wear replica pieces when I don't feel comfortable wearing my more expensive pieces. Instead, I have my plain titanium band that I wear in lieu of my wedding set (I purchased matching ones for DH and myself to wear on our honeymoon and it's now my "travel" band) when I don't feel comfortable wearing my e-ring.

As for the rest of my pieces, none are extraordinarily valuable or flashy, but I do often leave my "signature" pieces at home when I travel...I'm more worried about misplacing them myself in a hotel or other space where I don't have a routine spot to place them when I take them off than I am about theft!

 

[dk168]

The flashier pieces are reserved for special occasions at events/locations/etc. where I shall feel safe enough to wear them, and they will be under my personal control at all times.

And I agree with Kenny re: the risk of being robbed and harmed is just as great whether one wears real diamonds or replicas.

DK

 

[aljdewey]

I don't worry about my jewelry most of the time when I travel domestically, but I also tend to visit more highly populated areas as well.

The one time I did feel uneasy (walking on a street in New Orleans that felt less traveled than I'd like), I ducked into a shop and took it off to avoid drawing attention.

I've not travelled extensively outside the U.S. to date; on my trip to Italy a few years ago, I elected to leave my nicer pieces home and wear more modest pieces that weren't sentimental and that I'd readily surrender if needed.

 

[Calliecake]

I don't understand wearing a replicas or CZs.

Sure, your real jewelry is safe, but you are just as likely to be robbed, which may involve violence, even murder.

I also agree with Kenny. I'll wear a small diamond band, gold earrings and bracelet. The nicer jewerly is left in the safety deposit box while traveling. I can't sleep in my jewelry and am always worried I might leave something in the room.

 

[royalstarrynight]

I don't understand wearing a replicas or CZs.

Sure, your real jewelry is safe, but you are just as likely to be robbed, which may involve violence, even murder.

I bring CZs when the place I visit is safe and I want blingage, but I just don't want to risk losing or breaking it because my oec wouldn't be replaceable. I'm clumsy and hard on my hands, and I've chipped all sorts of gems and even diamonds. I wouldn't want to break it if I happen to fall and land some rocks on a hike, or smash my hand against jaggedy lava because I tripped. (both happened on a relatively flat path) If the location is not that safe, even the cz stays home. I don't even bring real stuff with me on cruises because we're active and I don't want to leave them in the room safe, and I certainly don't want to wear them while snorkeling or zip lining. Bringing fakes allows me to have some bling at dinner!

+1

I sometimes travel to South America and I totally strip myself of everything of worth or looks like of worth there. I even remove a simple gold chain necklace and I downgrade my watch into something super cheap looking.

My winkCZ probably will end up traveling with me in first and second world countries just for fun.

 

[Sky56]

Sometimes I wear a plain band instead of my diamond ring. I have a nice collection of plain 14K white gold bracelets, rings, earrings and chains and like to wear them while traveling. They look like silver and nothing special. I have a pretty 14K white gold pendant that has some heft and has a .25 carat diamond that I like to wear while traveling, it's discreet and scratches my bling itch without drawing attention. I can button my shirt so it can't be seen if I want. When I wear my nice things, I spin my rings around when on the street in big cities or on public transportation.

 

[Laila619]

I generally will wear a plain band. I love plain metal bands anyway, they are so classy and elegant and MARRIED to me.

 

[cflutist]

We cruise every year so it depends on where we are going. I felt perfectly safe in French Polynesia e.g . Tahiti, Bora Bora etc and in Alaska. But in Mexico, I left all of my jewelry in the safe and just wore a Citizen Eco Drive watch onshore so we could return to the ship on time.

 

[rosetta]

We cruise every year so it depends on where we are going. I felt perfectly safe in French Polynesia e.g . Tahiti, Bora Bora etc and in Alaska. But in Mexico, I left all of my jewelry in the safe and just wore a Citizen Eco Drive watch onshore so we could return to the ship on time.

Hello from a fellow cruiser! We are in Spain Portugal and France in a few weeks. Will leave real diamonds at home and wear CZ not because I'm worried about theft but worried about losing stuff in the pool or the ports. If I'm worried about safety, I leave everything but a plain band at home. I wear my diamonds out and about in my home city.

 

[misskittycat]

Do you ever leave the ring-bling at home? Sure. I left my original e-ring at home for 3 months while we travelled around Europe. On our honeymoon. Sheesh! I also leave my bling at home if I think we are going somewhere somewhere a little dicey.

Did you get a cz type copy made? Not "made" but I did buy a dreadful replica with the intention of having it as a travel ring but when it arrived it was so obviously a fake I couldn't bring myself to ever wear it.

Do you palm the diamond when walking outside at night? (my aunt's old trick) I have done it and will continue to do so if I ever feel like it's not an overly safe area.

The older I get, the less likely I am to take my bling with me on holiday. In the US, bling is pretty much everywhere we would travel (major cities), but in Europe, jewellery is a lot more discrete. Most of my French, Italian and German friends have very small engagement rings and many don't have diamonds at all (just a band). Plus Paris is getting a lot more dangerous - a friend of mine was mugged for her diamonds on the Champs Elysee. In broad daylight. So I would really consider where I am going and what I am likely to be doing and prioritising my safety before deciding what I will take. If I am going to a tropical destination (like Bali or Fiji) I just wear a simple silver band, no bling. It all stays home in the bank. And big dangly earrings and fun necklaces, but it's definitely all costume. Nothing I don't mind losing.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I just wear a wedding band and small earrings if I'm traveling.

Even in places I thought I'd be safe, I've had people looking at my bling in an inappropriate way and I've ended up regretting wearing what I've had on.. (and my bling is small).

 

[distracts]

I haven't ever traveled anywhere I wouldn't feel safe wearing my jewelry. If I did, I'd just wear my plain band and leave the rest.

On most trips I bring:
- engagement ring and wedding rings
- one pendant (usually the tsavorite one)
- the earring pair I sleep in
- two to three other pairs of earrings, which I keep in my pill case (you can put an earring in each compartment and not worry about the diamonds chipping each other... I haven't had any of them crush the pills yet either).