Your engagement ring is most likely the most precious item you own.

So it makes sense to treasure it and take all the necessary steps to keep it safe and protect the investment you or your partner made.

I used to put mine back in it's pretty cushioned box each night, carefully brush it with an old toothbrush and soapy water every few weeks, twirl it around so that the diamonds were facing inwards when sat on the tube next to particularly shady looking characters and lock it up in hotel safes when travelling.

But, as you may have gleaned from my use of the past tense, despite being ultra careful, I somehow managed to lose my beloved engagement ring.*

And, worst of all it wasn't insured!

photo by Ali Mitton via The Lane

When I finally plucked up the courage to tell Zee I couldn't find it, I thought he was going to be sick / faint / have a heart attack – all of the above.

After all, he worked his butt off saving up for that sparkly little piece of perfection for months, he carried it close to his heart all the way from London to Italy, he held on to it for dear life as we rocked back and forth on that little boat just for two overlooking the Amalfi coast, we went through the ordeal of changing the setting together, and now, four years on it's just gone.

So if anyone is qualified to write a post on why jewelry insurance is such a good idea, it's me!

Believe me, I wish I could do a Marty McFly and go back in time, to around August 3rd 2010, make a beeline for my apartment in London, rip that silly toothbrush out of my hands (hopefully without destroying the space time continuum) and simply say “Perfect Circle® Jewelry Insurance“.

gorgeous photo by Blush By B Photography

So, just to recap, as I don't want any of you to make the same mistake as I did…

What's the best way to protect your engagement ring?

Make sure that it’s adequately insured!

Whether through your homeowners or Perfect Circle® Jewelry Insurance, it’s the single best thing you can do to protect your jewelry. If you choose to go with your homeowners insurance, bear in mind that many policies limit basic coverage to $1,000 and often don’t cover things like mysterious disappearance (which is exactly what happened to my ring*) so stay informed.

Other benefits of insuring through Perfect Circle® Jewelry Insurance include:

World-wide coverage for loss, theft, damage or mysterious disappearance. They'll ensure your ring / jewelry is replaced with the same kind and quality, and you can even work with the jeweler of your choice. Great huh?

Click here to find out how Perfect Circle® Jewelry Insurance can help you plus get a free quote today!

And here is a little bit (ok a lot) of sparkle that I'd insure in a heartbeat if any of these beauties were mine…

Diamond engagement rings by Astley Clarke

* Want to know what happened to my ring?

I wish I could tell you something that made sense like “it fell down the plug hole while I was washing up” or “it slipped off when I was swimming ” but it really was a case of ‘mysterious disappearance'.

I was staying at my mum's for a few nights back in October last year, and I'd forgotten my ring box. So it was one of only a handful of times in four years when I didn't put my ring back in it's box when I went to sleep but simply popped it on top of the bedside table. The next morning was a mad rush to get ready and leave for the airport.

Once on the plane, I sat with my hands in my lap waiting for the plane to take off and realised to my horror that I didn't have my ring on – I had a bit of a ‘Home Alone' moment – you know where the mum suddenly remembers they've left Kevin at home. (Yep all the 80s movies are coming out to play in this post!) Anyway, I was rather annoyed because I was heading to New York for Bridal Fashion Week for the first time and I thought that it might seem weird that a wedding blogger wasn't wearing her engagement ring.

But it didn't seem like a big deal, especially as I knew exactly where it was. In my mind it was perfectly safe and sound on my bedside table in my old bedroom at my mum's house. I'll just give her a call when I land, I thought.

Well, of course that didn't happen. I was in a rush to get to my hotel and get ready for that evening's catwalk show. One show lead into another and before I knew it the weekend had flown by in a flurry of new names, faces and gorgeous bridal gowns. By the time I finally rang my mum four days later, the ring was gone.

She searched my room from top to bottom but couldn't find it. When I came back to London a month later I also searched my room from top to bottom but couldn't find it. Then I proceeded to search the whole house from top to bottom and spent an unpleasant five minutes rummaging around in the cat hair filled hoover bag.

But my engagement ring was nowhere to be found.

The only explanation I can think of is that I didn't actually leave it on my bedside table but put it on first thing in the morning instinctively then left it on the bathroom counter while I took my shower and somehow it fell down the sink…?

Even though I'm 99.9% sure the last place I saw it was on my bedside table. Sigh. Where's Sherlock when you need him eh?

I truly hope that none of you lovely people reading this post ever have to go through this. It's so sad to think that a precious piece of our love story is gone forever.

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