Jewelry. Do you take your wedding ring/engagement ring?

[ace1zoe2]

I'm another who never takes my jewelry off. We've done 25 cruises, swim, snorkel, adventure type excursions. Never had an issue.

Edited March 28, 2022 by ace1zoe2

[orville99]

5 minutes ago, bigque said:

I am sorry to hear that I really am and that is bad but truth of reality is that that happens on streets even in the good old USA not just on islands in the Caribbean. 

So why would you dismiss the fully rational suggestion to not invite temptation by wearing all your bling in a foreign port where you have no idea what the local mood is towards tourists as easy targets.

 

Btw, there are several cities and areas in the U.S. where I wouldn't even think about wearing any jewelry in public as well.

[puppycanducruise]

A good friend of mine went on vacation and left her diamond engagement ring at home.  The empty house was broken into and someone stole her jewelry.   She wished she had just worn the ring as she normally did, but she heard about being robbed in a foreign country and didn't want to take the risk.  She lost.

Edited March 28, 2022 by puppycanducruise

[bigque]

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

So why would you dismiss the fully rational suggestion to not invite temptation by wearing all your bling in a foreign port where you have no idea what the local mood is towards tourists as easy targets.

 

Btw, there are several cities and areas in the U.S. where I wouldn't even think about wearing any jewelry in public as well.

I am not dismissing anything but what you are saying can be said of anyplace not just in a foreign port. If your comfort level is not wearing jewelry and stuff when you are out then don’t and just do you. I’m not saying to walk around all blinged out looking like a Jewelry store advertisement but we are not going to wear different wedding bands or watches as I don’t roll in fear like that when walking the crowded streets of anywhere I go. 

[Travelling2Some]

I've never liked to wear jewelry so have just never acquired any.  Many years ago I even told my husband not to waste his money buying me an engagement ring.  I'm a big spender in a couple of other areas (housing, fine furniture) but jewelry just doesn't do anything for me.  I know this is unusual but it is my personal answer to the "why have it if you don't wear it" question.  I DON'T have it because I don't wear it, lol!

[MandyMooToo]

15 hours ago, Eddie Wilson said:

DW will not wear nice jewelry onto an island or at a beach, but she will wear to dinner on board.

 

She will leave jewelry on the desk, as we both are confident even the room steward would not confiscate.  

 

So if you are not afraid to wear it at home, why not on a cruise?  I can’t see much of a difference. 

 

Eddie

This is what we do.  We both have silicone rings to wear in the pool, hot tub or to the beach/shore excursions.  When dressing for dinner we both wear our nice jewelry.  I do know of people that wear fake rings, etc.  But in my opinion wearing a fake ring won't help you with a thief as they likely can't tell what is real or not without inspecting the piece anyway.  Fake jewelry is only "helpful" if you lose it instead of the real stuff. 

[immjs20]

We have been on a little over 20 cruises.  We always wear our rings.  My husband's wedding band would have to be cut off at this point!  And I wear both wedding band and engagement ring.  I know a couple who tattooed their wedding bands on their fingers.  Nothing to worry about with that method!  Good luck with whatever you choose.

[HxFx]

I don't wear my engagement/wedding ring on any vacation involving the ocean. I'm not worried about it being stolen but of losing it in the water. When I cruise, or take a tropical vacation, it is my goal to be in the water as much as possible. Most water time involves  scuba, snorkel, and/or slides (yes, I love them even in my 50s!) The cool water always shrinks my fingers and I've had my ring fall off (recovered fortunately!)

 

I have tried just taking it off and leaving it in a safe or somewhere I won't forget it but there is almost always at least one day I forget to do that. Then I end up preoccupied with losing the ring. I'm not a big jewelry person so it doesn't bother me to be without nice jewelry but my wedding ring is pretty nice (to me at least!) and I would hate to lose it. I just put a note on my check off list now to wear a cheap band (and I've lost those in the water!)

[Seville2Cabo]

51 minutes ago, orville99 said:

So why would you dismiss the fully rational suggestion to not invite temptation by wearing all your bling in a foreign port where you have no idea what the local mood is towards tourists as easy targets.

I guess this is just living in fear.  You could also say "don't drive a nice car because the valet may set you up to be robbed."  We own things to wear and use, not to keep put away so we don't get robbed.

 

With that said, we also don't walk down dark streets alone in any city in the world, no matter what we are wearing,  In Cabo, we wear our watches and jewelry for dinners in town, but I make sure to park in a public area and pay the fee, and not try to find street parking 3 blocks into a dark unpopulated area.  Just don't hear of many robberies (not including snatch and run) in populated tourist areas.

[Levi is good]

I leave all good jewelry and even my good purses at home.  Jewelry goes into a safe or into a hiding place, purses take their chances in my closet.  🙂  

[Cruiser1862]

Years ago we had some jewelry “hidden” in our home. I rarely wore it, it was handed down (my sister loves the stuff and I’ve since given most of it to her). Anyway, we had close friends visiting from out of town. Sitting around we got to the subject of hiding things of value in our homes. She asked if she could guess our hiding spot. She got it immediately. We were shocked. Reason:  it was their hiding spot in their home and they thought they were so clever. Turns out either we were 4 of the most clever people around or 2 of the most naive!!

[orville99]

1 hour ago, Seville2Cabo said:

I guess this is just living in fear.  You could also say "don't drive a nice car because the valet may set you up to be robbed."  We own things to wear and use, not to keep put away so we don't get robbed.

This attitude is easy to understand and rationalize if you have never been the one robbed, or the one (as I was) who was called to the hospital to comfort a wife as her husband was in surgery fighting for his life after being robbed and shot in a very public and very heavily visited tourist area in a major port city. Perspective changes when it impacts you directly.

[BND]

39 minutes ago, Cruiser1862 said:

Years ago we had some jewelry “hidden” in our home. I rarely wore it, it was handed down (my sister loves the stuff and I’ve since given most of it to her). Anyway, we had close friends visiting from out of town. Sitting around we got to the subject of hiding things of value in our homes. She asked if she could guess our hiding spot. She got it immediately. We were shocked. Reason:  it was their hiding spot in their home and they thought they were so clever. Turns out either we were 4 of the most clever people around or 2 of the most naive!!

Most common spots are shoe boxes in closets and  behind headboards and in dresser drawers.  My in-laws home got broken into years ago (35 or so) and she had a lot of her jewelry behind the headboard and that was taken because thieves know where to look.  They will strip beds and use pillowcases to carry stuff in all the while looking under mattresses and behind headboards.   They also have no issue dumping out drawers and shoeboxes.  

Edited March 28, 2022 by BND

[BND]

36 minutes ago, orville99 said:

This attitude is easy to understand and rationalize if you have never been the one robbed, or the one (as I was) who was called to the hospital to comfort a wife as her husband was in surgery fighting for his life after being robbed and shot in a very public and very heavily visited tourist area in a major port city. Perspective changes when it impacts you directly.

But, plenty of people have been held up and shot/stabbed/beaten for not having any valuables on them.  

Edited March 28, 2022 by BND

[jbrinkm]

My engagement ring (fused with wedding band) is pretty special to me and would be hard to replace, even though it is insured, so I take it and wear it on the ship and then it goes in the safe for excursions and the cheap backup one goes on instead (bought in Belize and made out of some natural substance). I tried going without anything when I took my good one off, and I kept freaking out that I'd lost it since I'm so used to having it on (21 years and counting!). 

 

Funny story - the first time I snorkeled in Cozumel, I was wearing my diamond engagement ring/band combo and cluelessly swimming/snorkeling around, while my husband watched a barracuda following/stalking me, fixated on the shiny reflection. He kept an eye on it and after a few minutes when it was clear what had caught its attention, he motioned to me to get out of the water. I never saw it at all, or at least didn't recognize what it was if I did see it...

[BND]

16 minutes ago, jbrinkm said:

My engagement ring (fused with wedding band) is pretty special to me and would be hard to replace, even though it is insured, so I take it and wear it on the ship and then it goes in the safe for excursions and the cheap backup one goes on instead (bought in Belize and made out of some natural substance). I tried going without anything when I took my good one off, and I kept freaking out that I'd lost it since I'm so used to having it on (21 years and counting!). 

 

Funny story - the first time I snorkeled in Cozumel, I was wearing my diamond engagement ring/band combo and cluelessly swimming/snorkeling around, while my husband watched a barracuda following/stalking me, fixated on the shiny reflection. He kept an eye on it and after a few minutes when it was clear what had caught its attention, he motioned to me to get out of the water. I never saw it at all, or at least didn't recognize what it was if I did see it...

Yeah, it's suggested that you don't dive or snorkel with jewelry as fish are attracted to shiny objects lol.  

 

My set is not my original (married almost 42 years) but I still have my original ones and wear the engagement ring (reset) on my right hand a lot.  While it's the original, I'm just not that sentimental about it.  Because it's about our marriage, not the rings.   Kind of like, weddings should be about the marriage, not the party.

[Levi is good]

Perhaps having a decoy wallet/ring/etc. would be a safe way to go.  Something I will consider.  Maybe with a little bit of value/money, but not the "real' deal.

[BND]

8 minutes ago, Levi is good said:

Perhaps having a decoy wallet/ring/etc. would be a safe way to go.  Something I will consider.  Maybe with a little bit of value/money, but not the "real' deal.

Um okay, are you that worried about being robbed in port?

 

30 cruises and we've walked around in ports, done excursions, etc and have never felt like we were going to be robbed.

[bonsai3s]

Almost 40 years ao, in Lima, Peru, a man yanked my watch right off my wrist...and took off running.

 

At that time, my vision was still good, I was physically fit,  and I could've easily ran him down and caught him. I didn't...it was only a cheap, plastic/rubber, digital Timex wrist watch. 

 

As I got older, I started wearing a Rolex watch...wore it all over the world...it was like fishing, not even a bite. No one snatched my Rolex.

 

* I always wondered if the crooks knew that mine was a fake, $5 Rolex. 

[orville99]

46 minutes ago, BND said:

But, plenty of people have been held up and shot/stabbed/beaten for not having any valuables on them.  

Certainly, but those unfortunate souls would probably have suffered the same outcome regardless of whether they were or were not in possession of anything valuable. If one was to submit to truly living in fear, they would never leave the house, and if you entered their dwelling you would find them curled up in a corner, rocking back and forth while muttering to themselves. 

Being aware of your surroundings and making conscious decisions not to elevate the potential for unpleasant outcomes is common sense. 

 

 

[Cigar King]

I have everything covered under my insurance.  We have never had a problem, but I am prepared if we do.  Now, if I told my wife she could not bring her jewelry, that would be a problem I am not prepared to deal with!  😉

[herbanrenewal]

51 years ago my fiancé asked if i would prefer an engagement ring or a honeymoon - i chose the honeymoon. In a 45 year career as a nurse all but simple bands were impractical. Over the years i've accumulated some lovely and meaningful pieces, but usually only wear them for special family occasions - I'm also not the kind of person who dresses up a lot. - but I've travelled to every continent except Antarctica (I hate cold weather). A lifetime of experiences contribute to what we value and what we fear, what has meaning, and what is unnecessary.

I think all the answers here reflect who we are, and are perfectly valid responses.

 

[Sirlancelot]

I have never taken my engagement ring on any ship or non-US travel. . The wedding ring has inset itty bitty diamonds - 3 and sapphires - 4 and looks very plain and can be twirled to show a plain gold band. The Engagement ring is too much. I leave it at home. Well I did. I have not cruised since March 2020. I wear it all the time at hotels for Stay-Cations in Florida though! 

OH _ and PS I don't have any other jewelry I bring that I would not feel ok with having removed from my person or clasp breaking etc.  Count me out on those Diamond International sell fests. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Sirlancelot

[iluvthe-c]

Had friend get her wedding ring sucked right off her finger at Jolly Beach on Antigua.  The waves there can be so aggressive!  

[barbeyg]

I wear very little jewelry, but my wedding set is always on my hand when I’m awake.

 

And so I my Apple Watch. 

 

Things can happen, but we pay attention to our surroundings when in a strange place.  And I don’t fret over things I cannot control.

Edited March 29, 2022 by barbeyg