Insured Shipping for Jewellery, Diamonds & Luxury Watches

No. FedEx states on its own site that it “does not provide insurance for potential loss or damage” and that “declared value is not shipping insurance.” Its default limit of liability is US$100 per shipment, and jewellery may be declared at a maximum of US$1,000 per package. For anything above that, FedEx itself recommends purchasing third-party insurance.

US$500. UPS’s terms cap both declared value and liability at US$500 for packages containing jewellery, and classify jewellery valued above that as an “article of unusual value” for which no service shall be rendered. Origin-specific exceptions exist but are narrow and contractual.

No. DHL’s Hong Kong prohibited items list names loose precious and semi-precious stones — cut or uncut, polished or unpolished — and bullion of any precious metal as never accepted, regardless of value. Jewellery and watches valued over EUR 10,000 are separately classified as restricted and require case-by-case DHL approval. Contact us to discuss compliant alternatives for loose goods.

Usually not, without a specific endorsement. Under a standard jewellers block policy, shipments sent via UPS, FedEx and DHL are typically not covered unless an endorsement extending to those carriers has been added. We can review your existing transit wording and tell you where the gap sits.

No. The programme requires a US business account and shipments originating within the United States, and is not offered for one-time or occasional jewellery shipments. The US$100,000 figure widely quoted online is therefore not available from Hong Kong, where the operative cap remains US$1,000 per package.

A Lloyd’s coverholder is a company authorised by a Lloyd’s managing agent to enter into insurance contracts on behalf of a Lloyd’s syndicate, under a delegated agreement known as a binding authority. Approval requires sponsorship by both a Lloyd’s broker and a managing agent, and coverholders are listed in the Lloyd’s market directory, so the status can be verified independently.

Limits and premium depend on the goods, value, destination, packing and underwriting approval, so we quote per shipment rather than publish a single figure. Send your shipping requirement or a current courier invoice by WhatsApp and we will come back with a comparison on both the freight and the cover.

Claims are handled by our Hong Kong team; you do not negotiate with an overseas carrier yourself. We generally need the commercial invoice, shipping documents, proof of the goods such as a GIA certificate, and packing records. Photographing goods and the packing process before dispatch materially speeds up settlement.

No. Any identifying word on the outside of a parcel tells everyone who handles it that the contents are worth taking. Industry loss-prevention guidance is consistent on this: Jewelers Mutual advises never revealing package contents on the outer label or anywhere on the packaging, and Rapaport advises ensuring boxes display no words associated with diamonds or jewellery — including “gold” and “silver” — and avoiding any indication that the package is going to or from a jewellery business.

We review the shipping file and reissue the airway bill with those references removed. The commercial invoice and customs declaration stay complete and accurate — what is discreet is the outer label, not what you tell customs.

We run double boxing as standard. The reasoning is specific: Hanover Insurance notes that double boxing protects against dishonest employees at shipping firms who “may only have a brief moment to slit your package open quickly”, and the American Gem Trade Association describes a box within a box as deterring quick theft among shipping staff. When the outer box is opened, the inner box is still sealed.

Packing method can also affect a claim, and individual policies may impose specific packing conditions. The requirements that apply to your shipment are those in its cover terms, which we confirm at quotation.

Yes. Under the Import and Export (Registration) Regulations, Chapter 60E, any person importing or exporting a non-exempted article must lodge an accurate and complete declaration with Hong Kong Customs within 14 days of the article being imported or exported. The clock runs from the date the goods actually move, and the obligation is the trader’s, not the carrier’s.

Late lodgement is penalised on a sliding scale — HK$20 to HK$100 for articles valued at HK$20,000 or below, HK$40 to HK$200 above that, increasing with the length of the delay. Lodging a declaration that is knowingly or recklessly inaccurate in a material particular carries liability to prosecution.

Our electronic declaration service is charged per consignment by declared value, from HK$32 for consignments under HK$100,000 up to a capped HK$250 above HK$800,000. The full scale is in the table above.

The statutory government declaration charge is set separately under Chapter 60E — HK$0.2 on the first HK$46,000 of value plus HK$0.125 per HK$1,000 thereafter, capped at HK$200 per declaration. We confirm the final total for your consignment when you place the order.