Working in the USAA Gem Lab and with the USAA Special Investigations Unit allowed me a unique look into some of the stranger claims that were filed. Perhaps one of the strangest was the member who filed a Loss Claim Report (LCR) stating, “Someone stole my ring…but left my diamond!”
It did not take much investigating to realize what had happened. The lady wanted to clean her rings, so she thought about what cleaning agent she had in the house that she could use to soak her ring overnight. Unfortunately, she chose to soak the ring in a bowl of Clorox Bleach – which is the trademark term for chlorine bleach.
In the morning, her ring was gone from the bowl, but her diamond was clearly visible at the bottom of the bowl. Overnight, the chlorine completely dissolved the ring but, of course, did not affect the diamond.
This is an extreme but very real case of what happens every day in just about every swimming pool and hot tub in the world: People wear their jewelry to the swimming pool.
What happens when you wear jewelry in the pool?
Chlorine is a highly toxic chemical and will attack and dissolve many metals. Obviously, it is diluted to a safe level for humans to swim in swimming pools and hot tubs, but that does not apply to your jewelry. The chlorine, and even bromine used in some hot tubs, is slowly attacking the alloys used to make the gold jewelry. Slowly, and in small fissures and cracks. Every time someone wears their jewelry in a swimming pool or hot tub, the toxic chemicals used to keep the water clean are also attacking their jewelry.
The result is that rings come apart in unusual places, as seen on here. I pulled this image from a post by one of our ISG Community members on Facebook (credits below). The problem is that the ring can be repaired along the breakpoints, but a few weeks later, the ring will break in new places. The fact is once the jewelry items have been worn in the pool enough to cause sufficient damage to break the first time, it is done. You will just be chasing break after break. There is no repairing it. The alloys have been so damaged that the ring must be replaced.
Jewelers get blamed all too often.
I have experienced a few cases where a jeweler has been blamed for a faulty, porous casting of a custom-made ring, not realizing the damage is due to the customer wearing the item in a swimming pool and not a manufacturing defect by the jeweler. This is something all goldsmiths and hometown jewelry stores need to be aware of.
Does insurance cover this?
As far as the insurance claim is concerned, this is usually a wear-and-tear issue, not a damage issue. It is not a single, identifiable damage event that can be documented. Wearing expensive gold jewelry into a swimming pool is a known risk that will normally be classified as either a “failure to maintain” or an insured’s “normal wear and tear” issue. Although the final determination will be up to the customer’s insurance adjuster or Claims Committee, the claim will most likely be denied, at least at this Property and Casualty Adjuster’s desk.
Conclusion
The lady who lost her ring completely should be a clear example that everyone should keep in mind before wearing their jewelry in the swimming pool. Consider what it took to completely dissolve an 18kt gold ring in a bowl of chlorine bleach. Then consider that when anyone wears jewelry into a swimming pool or hot tub, they are doing the same thing to their jewelry. The same thing is happening, but due to the dilution of the chemical, it just happens over a longer period of time.
However, once the damage is done, it cannot be repaired. It is time for a new ring or other jewelry item.
Editor’s Credit and Thanks: Story suggested by Michael Gossage RGA, FGA, GG of MB&B Gemological Services.
