02/07/2026
In the space of one year, the price of gold has effectively doubled (as of this writing, gold is almost $5,000 an ounce), and there are several ramifications. For the vast majority of people who own fine jewelry, this means that your insurance values (especially for jewelry that is primarily gold) is now woefully inadequate. (No, the insured value of your jewelry does not automatically rise with the gold market.) Not sure? Ask your jeweler.
Another issue is security. Jewelry was a major target for burglary when the gold market was $300 to $400 an ounce for a 20-year period through much of the 1980s and 1990s. (In truth, jewelry has always been a major target for burglars.) However, this had become even more of an issue when gold surpassed $1,000, then climbed past $2,000, but now at nearly $5,000 an ounce, extra precaution must be taken to assure that you and some of your most prized possessions won't be parting company unexpectedly.
As I have previously indicated, fine jewelry must be carefully stored somewhere that is not obvious whenever it is not being worn, and I'm not talking about only the pieces that you wear irregularly. I will go so far as advising that a fresh perspective should be taken in regard to security entirely, not only for the home or when traveling, but when wearing gold jewelry in public as well. The gold bracelet you may have received as a birthday present 20(+) years ago (currently insured for $500) may now be worth ten times that amount, so it is time to think about taking extra precautions, not just bringing your insurance up to date.
