If obtaining insurance for your Swarovski Crystal collection is something you have thought about, but have never gotten around to doing it, keep reading! Undoubtedly, you treasure your collection enough that you would want to replace it if anything unfortunate happened. That is what makes insurance an important part of enjoying crystal collecting!
Most likely, a collector is not going to find a company specializining in Swarovski insurance. A collector should be seeking a broader category such as 'collectables insurance'.
A standard homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy is typically NOT adequate to cover the loss of a sizable Swarovski collection. You can ask your insurance company to add a special rider to your policy that will protect valuables in your home. Or, you can acquire insurance from a different company, who specializes in insuring collectibles and antiques, mentioning that you have a Swarovski collection.
A vital aspect of getting sufficient coverage is to know the replacement value of each Swarovski crystal piece in your collection. If your insurance covers only the original purchase prices, it may not reimburse you enough to buy the items at current market value. Since the value of collectibles like Swarovski Crystal vary from year to year, you need to research how much your collection is worth on a regular basis. A reliable reference guide, such as Warner’s Blue Ribbon Books, will give you this critical information, allowing you to adjust the insurance coverage on your Swarovski as needed.
If you have an extensive Swarovski collection, or one that continues to grow as you discover more items you want, submitting an accurate, annual inventory to your insurance company may seem like an overwhelming task. Fortunately, for those who have a computer, you can buy a collectibles inventory application to greatly simplify the job of creating and maintining your Swarovski collection. This type of software gives you an organized way of storing information on your crystal collection, so you can easily printout for your insurance company a correct listing of the items you own. Many of these applications are nonspecific and suitable for any type of collection, so they require you to enter product information yourself, like part number and current market value. The other option is a Swarovski software program like Star Track Software ~ Swarovski Crystal Edition, which is perfectly suited for Swarovski collectors. It contains a significant amount of product data, including retirement status and estimated replacement values, which can be updated yearly.
Insurance companies may want pictures of your Swarovski crystal items in addition to names, part numbers and replacement values. You can find images of Swarovski Crystal items in Warner’s Blue Ribbon Books and Star Track Software ~ Swarovski Crystal Edition, but your company may also require pictures of the exact pieces you own. In this case, you will need to keep photographs or digital files in a safe place, or give copies to your insurance company. If you have images taken with a digital camera, you can view them alongside related product and personal data in Star Track Software, and even print them out on an inventory report.
If you ever have to file a claim and replace any of your Swarovski collection, you will want to buy your new Swarovski Crystal from a trustworthy retail store or experienced Swarovski secondary market broker. You should find a company like Crystal Exchange America, who will give you a fair price, professionally inspect every item before sending it and use adequate shipping insurance, to guarantee a secure and satisfactory purchase.
An alternative to buying a replacement item for one that is damaged, but not destroyed, is to have the crystal repaired or restored. In order to assure that your Swarovski Crystal piece is returned to the best possible condition, choose Swarovski Repair professional to fix it, like The Crystal Wizard. An amateur job is not likely to give you acceptable results nor allow your crystal to have its maximum value.