Burglars Targeting Gold Jewellery: Make Sure yours is Safe Say Essex Jewellers

ILFORD, U.K. - Oct. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- In recent months there has been a rise in targeted burglaries specifically aimed at the theft of gold jewellery.  With gold values being at a record high, gold jewellery has never been more attractive to thieves; there are even reports of burglars using metal detectors to target family heirlooms.

With this worry looming over every jewellery owner, it’s time to ensure that your precious pieces are properly insured say Essex jewellers EK Jewellers (http://www.ekjewellers.co.uk/).  Ask your local independent jeweller to carry out a full valuation of your items and make sure your insurance covers them correctly.

Who is being targeted and what for?

Jewellery thieves are targeting anyone whom they believe to have collections of superior gold jewellery. Unfortunately, Asian families are particularly vulnerable at the moment, as, according to the Metropolitan Police, they are disproportionately being targeted for their high quality gold. Asian households account for 24 percent of all burglaries whereby jewellery was taken, and for 16 percent of all repeat burglaries.

It is not unusual for Asian families to have large quantities of Indian gold which may have been handed down through the generations, and thieves are aware of its quality and value.  Police are warning families to be particularly vigilant during Asian festivities and family celebrations, when some communities bring large collections of family jewellery together to celebrate. It’s important therefore to make sure that your jewellery is properly protected, and a valuation at a local jewellery shop (http://www.ekjewellers.co.uk/) is often the first step towards keeping your pieces safe.

How can you keep your jewellery safe?

Police are advising jewellery owners that one of the easiest measures to keep your jewellery safe – or at least reunite it with you, should the worst happen – is to use a specialist property marking solution on your pieces.

A number of companies produce unique identifying markers which are then registered to the piece’s owner. The solution is invisible to the naked eye, only being visible under UV light, so it does not affect a piece’s appearance or value.

It’s also important to have your pieces adequately insured; household insurance doesn’t always cover the full value of pieces, and you may need to either expressly declare certain high-value items on your household insurance, or take out specific jewellery insurance.  Either way, you are likely to need a valuation, which can be carried out by a local jeweller (http://www.ekjewellers.co.uk/).

What do you need to do to satisfy your insurance criteria?

When insuring your pieces, you’ll often find that you need to satisfy certain criteria.  This may include having your jewellery valued, which can be undertaken by your local independent jeweller (http://www.ekjewellers.co.uk/).  This will ensure that you are insuring your piece for the correct value, should the worst happen; of course, it’s awful losing a treasured piece of jewellery due to the sentimentality attached to it, but it would be worse to have the double blow of not being insured to the full value.

Your pieces should also be documented photographically so that pieces can be recreated if necessary; Asian jewellery in particular is often highly individual and has usually been passed down from generation to generation, so it’s important that the piece can be recreated if necessary.  It’s also important to check any special terms of your insurance policy – for example, do you need to keep your pieces in a safe or bank when they’re not being worn?  With jewellery thieves being so specific in targeting gold pieces, it’s important that your special items are adequately insured, and your local independent jeweller can help you protect your property.