Learn more about Valuables Insurance, coverage, and carriers

Valuables insurance is a standalone or add-on policy that covers specific high-value personal items at their documented worth — not at whatever a general homeowners policy decides to pay. It fills the gap that standard home and renters policies leave wide open: most cap coverage for jewelry, art, and collectibles at $1,000–$2,500, regardless of what those items are actually worth.

How it's different from homeowners or renters insurance

A standard homeowners or renters policy covers personal property broadly, but high-value categories like jewelry, art, and instruments hit a sub-limit fast. Valuables insurance is written item-by-item — or category-by-category — with documented values agreed upon before any claim happens. It also covers perils that standard policies commonly exclude, including mysterious disappearance: you notice it's gone, you have no idea when or how, and you're still covered.

What "scheduled" means

When an item is scheduled on a valuables policy, it means the insurer has agreed on what it's worth before a claim ever happens. Each covered item is listed with its own value and its own premium. Scheduling typically requires an appraisal, a receipt, or a certified valuation — documentation that establishes the number the carrier will pay if the item is lost, stolen, or destroyed.

Commonly covered item types

• Jewelry and watches
• Fine art and sculptures
• Collectibles — coins, stamps, sports memorabilia, wine
• Cameras, audio equipment, and professional gear
• Musical instruments
• Antiques and silverware
• Furs and designer items

Covered events

• Theft — including from a vehicle or hotel room
• Accidental damage — a ring stone chips, a violin is dropped
• Mysterious disappearance — you notice it's gone but don't know when or how
• Fire and water damage
• Loss while traveling — domestically or internationally

You notice it's gone, you have no idea when or how, and you're still covered.

What's typically not covered

• Gradual wear and deterioration
• Intentional damage
• Items not listed on the policy (for scheduled coverage)
• Certain categories vary by carrier — always confirm with the carrier's actual policy language before binding

Scheduled personal property — item-level coverage

Each item is listed individually with an agreed or appraised value. The premium is calculated per item based on type, value, and location. This approach works best for one-of-a-kind pieces, high-value individual items, or anything appraised above $5,000 — where a blanket limit wouldn't come close to covering a single loss.

Blanket coverage — category-level coverage

A single coverage limit applies to an entire category — for example, $25,000 across all jewelry in your possession. No per-item scheduling is required, but no individual item can exceed the blanket cap. This approach suits collections where individual pieces are lower in value but the total collection is significant.

Floaters and endorsements

A floater is a separate policy that sits alongside your existing home or renters coverage and follows specific items wherever they go. An endorsement (sometimes called a rider) adds valuables coverage directly onto an existing homeowners policy. Both accomplish the same goal — the difference is administrative and carrier-dependent. Either way, the item is covered at its documented value, at home and away.

How coverage amounts are determined

Most carriers require a recent professional appraisal for items above a set threshold. Appraisals should be updated every three to five years — values change, especially for jewelry and art — and an outdated appraisal can result in a payout that no longer reflects what replacement actually costs.

The most important thing to confirm before binding a valuables policy is whether it pays agreed value or actual cash value. Agreed value means the carrier pays the full scheduled amount with no depreciation applied — that's the standard for valuables insurance, and it's what you're looking for. Actual cash value subtracts depreciation and is more common in standard home policies.

Many valuables policies are also available with a $0 deductible, meaning you pay nothing out of pocket on a covered claim. Higher deductibles lower the premium; lower deductibles raise it. Some carriers offer deductible waivers for items above a certain scheduled value.

Valuables insurance isn't just for collectors with museum-quality holdings. Anyone whose jewelry, art, or equipment exceeds the sub-limits in their existing home or renters policy is almost certainly underinsured under a standard policy — and often doesn't know it until a claim is denied or underpaid.

• Owners of high-value individual items — A single piece appraised above $5,000 will almost always hit the sub-limit ceiling of a standard homeowners policy. Scheduled coverage closes that gap entirely.
• Frequent travelers — Valuables coverage typically follows the item, not the address. Coverage applies at home, in transit, and abroad. Standard homeowners policies often limit or exclude off-premises coverage for high-value items.
• Collectors — Fine art, wine, coins, and numismatic collections require carriers with category-specific expertise and coverage structures that can be updated as the collection grows.
• Anyone who wants financial-strength assurance — High-value claims are large claims. AM Best ratings are the standard benchmark for insurance carrier financial strength; a rating of A or better signals the carrier has the reserves to pay significant losses.

Financial strength

For anyone scheduling items worth $10,000 or more, carrier financial strength matters more here than in most insurance categories. An AM Best rating of A or better is the standard benchmark — it signals the carrier has the reserves to pay large claims without delay or dispute.

Coverage scope and exclusions

Confirm the policy covers mysterious disappearance — not all do. Confirm worldwide coverage if you travel with insured items. The exclusions list in valuables insurance varies more across carriers than it does in standard home insurance, so reading it carefully before binding is worth the time.

Claims process

Some carriers assign dedicated adjusters for high-value claims; others route through a standard claims queue. How a carrier handles claims on a $30,000 piece of jewelry or a $50,000 painting matters — ask about response time, whether settlement is paid in cash or handled through repair or replacement in kind, and who your point of contact is after a loss.

Online management vs. agent access

• Digital-first carriers — Policy management, claims filing, and document uploads handled entirely through an app or web portal. Fast onboarding, suited for customers who want to manage everything from their phone.
• Traditional carriers — Agent-supported service, local office access, and dedicated account management for clients with significant holdings.
• Hybrid carriers — Online tools for routine management, with agent escalation available for complex coverage needs or high-value claims.

Pricing transparency

Premiums for valuables insurance are generally low relative to the coverage provided — often a fraction of a percent of the item's value annually. Watch for carriers that require bundling valuables coverage with a home policy as a condition of eligibility, particularly if you rent rather than own.

Lemonade

Lemonade is a digital-first carrier built around fast onboarding and app-based claims filing. It offers scheduled personal property coverage as an add-on to renters and homeowners policies, and it's well-suited for customers who want to manage coverage entirely from their phone with no agent involvement. Founded in 2015, Lemonade operates out of New York and is designed around straightforward digital self-service from quote to claim. See JumpSteps' full review of Lemonade for the current editorial assessment.

AIG

AIG has a dedicated private client division built specifically around high-net-worth personal lines — one of the few carriers where valuables insurance isn't a side product but a core offering. It provides agreed value coverage, worldwide protection, and in-kind replacement options for fine art and collectibles. AIG has been writing complex personal lines since 1919 and is known for claims handling expertise on large, complicated losses. See JumpSteps' full review of AIG for the current editorial assessment.

Chubb

Chubb is one of the most widely cited carriers in the high-value personal lines category, with a track record in this space going back to 1882. Its Masterpiece policy covers jewelry, art, collectibles, and instruments with agreed value coverage and $0 deductible options. Chubb also offers appraisal services and risk consulting for significant collections — useful for collectors who need ongoing documentation support as holdings grow in value. BBB A+ rated. See JumpSteps' full review of Chubb for the current editorial assessment.