Bejewel Your Valentine With Lasting Treasures

ATLANTA, Feb. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Consider this Valentine's Day gift-giving rhyme: Roses are red, but they'll soon be dead. Candy is sweet, but it's not a healthy treat. Jewelry is especially fine, and with proper care, it can endure the test of time.

According to the National Retail Federation, countless romantics will chuck the chocolate this Valentine's Day and head straight for the precious metals and gem stones. More than $4 billion will be spent on jewelry around Feb. 14, with the average shopper shelling out hundreds on treasures for spouses or significant others.

An estimated 2.3 million couples will also solidify their love on Valentine's Day by getting engaged. With smiles as bright as the stones adorning their fingers, these excited new fiancees will seek to show off their rings everyday. Proper care such as cleaning, inspecting and polishing ensures they can do so without worry.

"Most jewelry is small and delicate, so dirt, lotions and creams can easily get trapped in the crevices, making it easy to break or damage," said Joe Erdeman, president of Assurant Solutions' extended service protection business.  "Over time, some jewelry will need repair, but all jewelry needs maintenance."

To ensure that your precious heirlooms remain in pristine condition so they can be passed on to generations, consider a jewelry care plan that covers damage to the accent stones or mountings and provides routine maintenance such as buffing and polishing. Such care plans offer cleaning, stone tightening, prong retipping and rhodium replating to prevent white gold from discoloring.

Assurant Solutions provides several care plans for jewelry and watches including a lifetime jewelry care plan through a partnership with Fred Meyer Jewelers.