How to Travel With Fine Jewelry

The TSA's jewelry guidance says jewelry is allowed in both carry-on and checked bags, and then asks travelers to keep valuable items with them. Checked bags go through handling areas you cannot see, and airline liability for checked baggage generally excludes jewelry. If a checked bag goes missing, the jewelry inside is usually your loss.

Your carry-on rule: if it would hurt to lose it, it stays within arm's reach. That means in the bag under the seat in front of you, not in the overhead bin across the cabin.

Chains tangle and kink in a loose pouch. A kinked fine chain, like a Box Chain 0.8mm ($315) or a Singapore Chain 0.6mm ($290), can crack at the bend.

1. Close every clasp before packing.
2. Thread fine chains through a drinking straw, or lay them flat between two sheets of tissue.
3. Give each piece its own slot. Diamonds scratch gold and other diamonds.
4. Ring rolls or a small hard case keep rings from sliding into each other.
5. Earrings go back on their backs, or into a pill organizer.
6. Heavy chains like a Hollow Cuban Chain 8.5mm ($4,870) go in a pouch of their own so they do not crush lighter pieces.

Small pieces such as studs, a wedding band or a thin chain usually go through body scanners without trouble. Heavy chains, chunky bracelets and big rings can trigger a pat-down. Two habits make it easy:

• Put heavy pieces inside a zipped pouch in your carry-on before you reach the line, rather than loose in a bin.
• Keep the bin in your sight as it comes out of the X-ray. Most airport losses happen at the far end of the belt.

You can ask for a private screening if you are carrying something valuable. Officers make the final call at the checkpoint.

You are not required to show proof of ownership at a US airport. Paperwork helps in three other situations:

Situation	What helps
Coming back into the US with pieces bought at home	Receipts or appraisals that show you owned them before the trip
A piece is lost or stolen	Appraisal, photos and serial or report numbers for the insurance claim
A watch or diamond is questioned	Grading report or warranty card

Keep digital copies in your phone and email, and photograph each piece you pack against a plain background before you leave. A lab-graded diamond with a laser inscription is easier to identify if recovered; see diamond laser inscriptions.

A scheduled jewelry policy or rider usually covers loss and theft worldwide. Homeowners or renters policies often cap jewelry at a low amount unless pieces are listed individually. Check before you leave, not after.

• Read jewelry insurance and appraisals for how coverage works.
• Know the difference between insurance and a store policy: what a jewelry warranty covers.
• Bought jewelry online for a trip? Read how to buy jewelry online safely first. Every Franky Diamonds shipment is insured in transit.

Before you leave	Done
Photo of every piece on a plain background	Saved to phone and email
Receipts, appraisals, grading report numbers	Digital copies
Insurance policy checked for travel coverage	Confirmed
Clasps closed, chains separated	Packed
Hard case or ring roll in the carry-on	Packed
Polishing cloth and soft brush	Packed
Pieces you do not need left at home	Yes

A watch should be worn or carried, never checked. An automatic watch that sits still in a bag will stop after its power reserve runs out, often within two or three days, so set the time and date when you arrive, and avoid changing the date near midnight on older movements. Keep watches away from phone speakers and magnetic bag clasps, which can magnetize a mechanical movement and make it run fast. Carry the papers or warranty card in digital form; they help if the watch is lost and you need to file a claim.

If you leave the US with valuable foreign-made jewelry or watches, US Customs and Border Protection offers a free form, CBP Form 4457, that registers items with serial numbers or unique markings before you go. It is a simple way to show that a watch or ring was yours before the trip, so you are not asked to pay duty on it when you come back. Pieces without serial numbers can be documented with a receipt or appraisal instead. Fill the form out at a CBP office before departure, not at the airport on the way back.

• Use the room safe, and close it with the jewelry inside a pouch so nothing slides behind the shelf.
• Take rings off before pools, the beach and hotel gyms.
• Do not leave pieces on the sink. Hotel drains do not have screens.
• Pack a polishing cloth and a small soft brush. Clean pieces with warm water and a drop of soap; our diamond cleaning guide explains how.
• Bring fewer pieces. A simple chain, studs and one ring cover almost every trip.

Building a set that travels well? See how to build a jewelry collection. For white gold that will see sun and salt, read white gold and rhodium before you go.