Jewelry is a great way to keep your outfits looking fresh while on vacation, without all the extra baggage! Whether you’re flying or driving to your destination, traveling with jewelry doesn’t have to be a hassle. Here are some helpful tips to keep your jewelry secure, tangle-free, and your confidence high about the safety of your jewelry collection while traveling.

Don’t let your trip be ruined by lost luggage, damaged jewelry, or worse, stolen items! Pack jewelry items that, worst-case scenario, could be replaced. Even though items such as your wedding set or diamond earrings may be items you never take off, a lot can happen while traveling so it’s best to not take heirloom pieces or sentimental items when on the road. Purchase lookalike diamond simulants that are similar to your set and leave the stress of a lost piece at home! Plenty of costume jewelry lines are affordable and trendy, with many copycat items that have the same look and feel as designer jewelry. 

If you must travel with expensive jewelry, make sure your insurance is up to date. Snap a picture of your jewelry items before packing them away to take inventory of your items. That way you can be 100% sure of which pieces you brought along. If you are traveling with more than $10,000 worth of jewelry, be sure to alert officials to ensure your items are documented.

• No jewelry case? DIY! You probably have all these items already at home. Use plastic zip-up storage bags to keep your necklaces from becoming a big heap of metal. The trick is to seal the bag with the closed clasp of your necklace barely sticking out of the bag, with the rest of the necklace inside the bag. This way your necklace stays lying in one direction and place for all the bumps, tosses, and bruises baggage typically endures on a trip.
• Use index cards to keep your earring sets together. Just poke the earring posts through the index card and use the earring back to secure the earring. 
• Use straws to keep necklaces from getting tangled. Simply slide the non-clasp end of the chain through one opening and through to the other, clasping the chain closed. Viola!
• Have an old pill case? These are great for separating small items such as earrings and rings, and usually, these are hard cases, so you won’t have to worry about warped or bent jewelry.

When traveling by air, always keep jewelry and valuable items in your carry-on luggage or inside your personal items, such as a backpack or purse. There are too many risks with packing valuable items in your checked baggage. If you must put your jewelry in a checked bag, or with any checked bag, it’s not a bad idea to add a GPS tracking device to your baggage. Secure your jewelry in a travel jewelry box or the DIY system of your choice. Be sure to place it in a secure compartment within your luggage. Take further steps to secure valuables by using bottles with hidden compartments to hide items such as your diamond and gold jewelry. Always use a TSA-approved lock on all luggage when traveling for extra security. 

TSA recommends passengers leave their jewelry on while going through security at airports. However, bulky items or multiple pieces may set off the alarm and you may be asked to remove them. A private screening can be requested for valuable pieces.