What to Do If You Lose Your Engagement Ring

The unthinkable has happened and your engagement ring is lost. Whether your entire engagement ring is missing, or your diamond fell out of its prongs, you are likely feeling overwhelmed, guilty and anxious among a storm of other emotions. As engagement ring and luxury jewelry experts, we understand how stressful losing something with great sentimental and monetary value is. To help you during this difficult time, we will explain what to do if you lose your engagement ring.

What to do if you lose your engagement ring:

1. Try not to panic
2. Cover your bases
3. Consider hiring a metal detector
4. File a police report
5. File an insurance claim
6. Accept what happened

 

1. Try not to panic

It is entirely natural to panic over losing such a valuable possession that symbolizes your marriage. So, before we discuss what to do if you lose your engagement ring, take a few deep breaths. It is difficult to be productive if you are feeling panicked and overwhelmed.

 

2. Cover your bases

Once the initial panic has worn off, take a moment to think about when you last saw your ring and retrace your steps. If you have upended your home to no success, search other frequented places such as your car, job and gym. Try to enlist the help of your spouse, family and friends for extra sets of eyes that might catch something you missed.

Ask your job, gym and other places you frequent to be on the lookout for your engagement ring. You may consider making a lost diamond ad with a picture of your diamond, contact information and the promise of a reward. You might also want to stop by local pawn shops to see if your engagement ring is on sale there.

 

3. Consider hiring a metal detector

If you know you lost your engagement ring in a specific location (house, park, beach, street etc), it may be worth hiring a specialist. There is an entire website dedicated to helping you find lost engagement rings: TheRingFinders.com. They have an extensive directory of metal detectors available for rent or hire. To date they have helped nearly 6,000 people find their lost engagement ring.

 

4. File a police report

If you have searched everywhere and your engagement ring has not turned up, your next step is to file a police report. Go to the nearest police station where you believed you lost the ring. The police will have you complete a report that details when and where you believe you lost your engagement ring as well as the ring’s characteristics.

Be sure to include:

• A comprehensive description of what your engagement ring looks like, such as the band’s color, size, diamond shape, carat weight, engravings or any unique features.
• If your diamond was evaluated by an official diamond grading lab, include its report number. Some diamonds are inscribed with their report numbers which can help you identify a found diamond as yours.

After your report is processed, the police will assign you a case number and will contact you if there are any updates. There is always the chance that someone will find your engagement ring and hand it over to the police!

 

5. File an insurance claim

After you completed your police report, you can contact your insurance company and file an insurance claim. Your engagement ring may be covered by:

• Jewelry insurance
• Renters insurance
• Homeowners insurance

Be sure to check all of your insurance policies to see if they cover lost engagement rings. Depending on your insurance, you will either receive cash or your insurance company will provide payment to a jeweler for a replacement ring. The replacement engagement ring will be similar in cost to the ring you lost. Unfortunately, you are not guaranteed to get back what you originally paid for your engagement ring, regardless of how expensive it was.

If you have standard renters or homeowners insurance, you will likely receive around $1,000 to $2,000 for your engagement ring because it is considered a “non-essential” household item. However, if you applied for an extension (also known as a rider and floater) specifically for your engagement ring with higher coverage, you will receive more back.

Before you file your insurance claim, have the following prepared:

• Police report
• Policy information
• Diamond grading report
• Most recent jewelry appraisal
• Photos of your engagement ring

 

6. Accept what happened

After your home has been thoroughly searched, reports have been filed and you have put all loved ones on high alert for your engagement ring, you may be wondering what you will do if you are never reunited with your ring. While it is true that engagement rings are symbolic of your love and commitment to your partner, the loss of this symbol does not weaken your marriage.

Accepting what you cannot change is an important part of letting go. The grief of losing your engagement ring will ebb with time. With the loss of their engagement ring, some women choose to buy a new engagement ring or a different piece of jewelry as a replacement and a way to move on.