Knowledge
07.03.2022 Storing investment gems properly
Anyone who invests in gemstones must also think about storage. The costs of storage as well as the safety of the valuable stones must be considered. What is the best way to go about it?
Individual stones or jewelry?
Collectors store their gemstones in jewelry boxes and caskets, which are designed to safely separate the stones, keep them scratch- and shock-resistant, and often serve as a beautiful presentation at the same time.
The following applies to jewelry: Almost all gemstones are completely insensitive to perfumes or creams. It can only come to the contamination of jewelry if, for example, cream residues accumulate in the jewelry. Only opal, coral and turquoise can absorb foreign substances and thus be deprived of their optical properties.
All gemstones traded on The Natural Gem are high quality and tested by gemological laboratories, so that an effect of fading is not present.
Safe storage options at home for investment gems
The best place to store gemstones is in a safe. We have been working in this field for years with the company “Wertheim”. It should be borne in mind that a well-insurable safe can weigh 300 kg and also costs around 3,000 euros. However, some customers bury their gems in the garden or hide them in cavities and double walls.
Especially when storing gemstones at home, it is important to keep the certificates separate from the gemstones so that in case of loss or theft, resale is more difficult. It is a good idea to keep the certificates in an inconspicuous folder, with other documents or in another safe.
Storage services for investment gemstones
Both banks and private safe deposit box providers can be considered for the storage of investment gems. It should be noted that a safe deposit box at the bank is usually more expensive than a simple bank safe deposit box. In addition, access to the safe deposit box is only possible during opening hours, and Austrian banks require identification for access to the safe. With private locker providers, access is often possible around the clock, for example with a key, a code or a card. Before deciding on a provider, you should carefully check not only the opening fees but also the annual fees and the costs for additional insurance services. If you owe fees over a long period of time, banks are also entitled to have safe deposit boxes opened under notary supervision and use the contents to settle the costs.
At The Natural Gem, we offer our customers an insured storage service for gemstones in a high security storage facility. This service costs 1% of the net acquisition value per year. Storage in a bonded warehouse is also available for an investment of 100,000 Euros or more.
Insurance of investment gemstones
Prüfen Sie stets die Höhe der Versicherungssumme
Finally, you should also consider insurance. If you store your gemstones at home, you should make sure if and which valuables are included or explicitly excluded in the household insurance. Household insurance policies usually also specify how the valuables are to be stored so that they are covered under the policy. In this respect, it is also important to know up to what amount the gems are included in the insurance policy. If you consider storage in a safe deposit box, you should also find out how high the insured amount is. Especially for jewelry, there are both safe deposit and carrying insurances.
The Natural Gem is always happy to put its clients in touch with a reputable insurance company.
Dr. Thomas Schröck
The founder and managing partner of THE NATURAL GEM has been active in international gemstone trading for 30 years. As a doctor of economics and a certified gemmologist in Switzerland, Germany and the USA, among other countries, he is one of Europe’s leading experts on naturally-coloured, untreated gemstones and investments in them.
