I only take my junk jewelry on holiday - apart from wedding/engagement rings

I always wear my wedding ring. I don't normally take my engagement ring, or my best gold. I normally buy some cheap but nice costume jewellery to take with me.

We have holidayed in a few places where you shouldn't wear expensive jewellery (Rio being one of them). I leave my rings in the safe.I'd rather not wear for a few days than not ever wear them again. I should perhaps not take them at all but I do put them on to travel there and back.
What you have to remember if you are going to risky place is, if you have good fakes then you are just as likely to be held up. Its the situation itself which can be distressing, even if all you lose is a few pounds.

Glynis HT Admin wrote:

I only take my junk jewelry on holiday - apart from wedding/engagement rings :tup

Me too, gone are the days of taking my rubies to match the red dress or the sapphires to match the blue outfit etc.
I'm an amateur gem collector, I think some of you have seen photos of my collection and apart from the worry of the security, it's not good to take gemstones to a hot country and have the heat/sun on them.

I once had a beautiful dark purple amethyst pendant and earrings set, both exactly the same colour because they both came from the same rough (rock), I only wore the dangly earrings at night.
The pendant (which I wore all the time) after walking around for 2 weeks with the intense Mediterranean sun beating down on my chest, the amethyst went a lot lighter shade because most stones are heat treated to produce the various colours, like Topaz to produce sky blue, Swiss blue or London blue.

Porous stones like opals do not like the sun either, it both bleaches and dries them out resulting in loss of colour play, and they are subject to being 'thermal shocked' (sudden temperature changes) like lying in the sun and then jumping in a cold pool/sea and they can crack.
The sun can bleach pearls and weaken them, and coral and turquoise can become unstable, "¦.fine if you're just going to wear them at night.

These days nearly every gemstone has been treated in some way to enhance them, emeralds are often filled with cedar oil to hide the impurities and flaws, because finding a flawless emerald is very rare and therefore it's the most expensive gemstone, but emeralds are brittle and the sun can dry out the oil, and you can come back from holiday with an emerald looking a lot different to when you went. Aquamarines and Emeralds are from Beryl"¦. Aquamarine will go paler if exposed to heat/sunlight for long periods.

I'd better shut up, sorry, but gemstones are one of (if not the main) interests that I've had for years, I'm fascinated by them but if you value your jewellery for its beauty, leave it at home in a safe place where it's not too hot and not too cold, but never store pearls in a plastic bag because moisture can get trapped inside and it will ruin the pearls, and lay them flat because otherwise the silk thread will stretch.

Sanji

I only take my wedding ring with me and leave my other valuables at home. I prefer to wear costume jewellery anyway as I enjoy accessorizing my outfits.

On another subject..... When we were out shopping in the Dominican Republic a number of years ago, one shop we were browsing was trying to get us to agree extortionate prices for goods. When my friend said that they were too expensive and he couldn't afford it they immediately pointed to his Rolex watch and said that he was a rich man Lesson learned there I think.

I'm a Magpie and love anything that sparkles even if it's just junk bling

I never take my wedding ring off but everything else stays at home. Got a fab 'engagement ring' in M&S a couple of years ago and it goes on hols!!! Looks very good - couple of pairs of cheap earrings & bracelets to match wardrobe..ready to go....12 days!!!

I usually keep my best jewellrey at home apart from my wedding ring, I wear my nice tibetan silver instead while I am away.

Only wear my wedding ring - which never gets taken off, and cheap accessories. I have some lovely pieces, which always remain at home!

same here, only wedding ring goes on holiday all the rest is costume

One of the things I was looking forward to during my visit to Oz was the opals, seeing as the world's supply are mined in Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge, there were millions of opals and I had every intention of buying another ring.

The prices were absolutely ridiculous, now I know the price of gold has gone through the roof, but some of these rings were set in silver and they weren't exactly outstanding opals.

The shop assistant didn't seem too pleased to have a tourist who knows a little about gemstones in front of her and was swooning over the colours, trying to make out it was a fab piece, well she lost interest in me when I said that red is the colour to look for in a good opal with a high price tag, and she didn't believe me when she tried to sell me a ring set in silver and I said I could buy the same opal set in gold, not silver, for less money in England....I think it was $480 (approx £300).

So, I was disappointed and brought my money home until I see something else I want, but I was flabbergasted at the prices in Oz....they were/are taking the pee.

Sanji x

My fingers swell on holiday so I bought a 2 ring set from Argos a few years ago and wear these on an evening.
5 years ago in Side one of the jewellers stopped me and asked if I would look in his shop.
I flashed my rings and said I didnt want any more jewellery.
He asked me to come into the shop so he could take a photo of my rings.I obliged and he looked at the rings through an eye glass.
He started writing down details such as the clarity and carats.
After he had finished he said if I bought them in the UK I must have paid around £4,500
You should have seen his face when I told him I bought them in Argos for £14.99.
They are still sold by Argos online

Jay where is it online as I don't have catalogue and want a snoop

Jay where is it online as I don't have catalogue and want a snoop

Me too

I am not sure where it is online but its described in the brochure as Platinum plated Couture.
Mine have stood the test of time as I wore them on my last holiday in Rhodes where a few people commented on my "lovely"rings!
I will look and see if I can find them online.

Found it online.
Its number 232/6335 .Click on jewellery,then rings then on Cubic Zircon.
They are on page 2 ,11 rings down from top.

hi all.....sanji Ive just read your post about gem stones....so interesting...I am not a big jewelry lover...but love the things nature gives us....and love gem stones for the beautiful things they are...really enjoyed reading your post....tweetie

I always wear my wedding ring and a pair of earrings and the rest stays at home. If I think I might want to dress up I throw in some cheap beads. I've recently been on holiday with a friend who loves jewellery and takes loads with her. She wouldn't leave it in the apartment so what she wasn't wearing came out in her handbag everywhere we went. It would drive me mad to have to do that all the time.

She wouldn't leave it in the apartment so what she wasn't wearing came out in her handbag everywhere we went. It would drive me mad to have to do that all the time.

I'd be a nervous wreck

Sanji x