The Jewelry Safe Buying Guide
Robert Tompkin
President at Luxe Safes
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President at Luxe Safes
For most homeowners purchasing a jewelry safe is a one-time investment, and that is why it is so important to choose the best high-security safe to protect your valuables from theft. As banks continue to shrink and discard their safe deposit boxes a jewelry safe for home has become a necessity, and so has the need to know what to look for when purchasing a safe for jewelry.
Whether you are the owner of a jewelry store or a homeowner with an expensive jewelry collection you want to prevent your valuables from being stolen.
Choosing a jewelry safe for business is simple because it usually does not matter what the safe looks like or how much it weighs if it has the UL rating you need to get insurance.
On the other hand, choosing a jewelry safe for home is the complete opposite. You do not need a UL burglary rating; you do care what it looks like, and size and weight are important.
It is essential to understand the differences between the two types to purchase a home jewelry safe that will provide a lifetime of security and convenience.
Safes for the jewelry industry must have certain UL burglary ratings to get insurance. The amount of insurance coverage will determine which of the five UL burglary ratings is required.
These ratings are based on forced entry tests in varying degrees of difficulty and with a variety of tools. There is no fire rating required to earn one of these high security ratings. The safe must also be equipped with a high security combination or digital lock only. No biometric lock qualifies for use. For details on testing procedures go to Underwriters Laboratories website at www.ul.com
Home safes do not require any of the commercial UL burglary ratings used to insure safes in the jewelry industry. This has led to a tremendous amount of misinformation to trick consumers into buying lesser quality safes that leave their valuables vulnerable to theft.
The RSC (Residential Security Container) rating is largely responsible for much of the misleading information. This is NOT a high security burglary rating like the UL burglary ratings given to safes used in the jewelry industry. UL even calls it a container rating not a safe rating. Despite this, many safe companies falsely make the comparisons to have you believe you are buying a UL rated burglary safe that is really nothing more than a UL rated storage container.
The RSC rating is a mere five minute forced entry test with one person using basic hand tools like drills, screwdrivers, and hammers. A safe as thin as 14 gauge (about the thickness of a nickel) can easily pass this test. Whereas a commercial quality safe has at least a ½” thick steel door. The RSC rating is commonly found on cheap gun safes and home safes. There are a few good quality safes with this rating if they are made with ½” steel like the Fortress model (Fortress). But most RSC safes are made with the minimum amount of steel to reduce costs for cheap online pricing.
Fire rated safes are designed to keep the internal temperature below 350 degrees which is the temperature that burns paper. These safes are made with inexpensive materials and very little steel because they are not designed to prevent burglary. Some models have more steel than others, but very few are made to provide good burglary and fire protection.
These inexpensive fire safes are often misrepresented as burglary and fire safes while shifting your attention to the fire rating to avoid discussion about the low level of burglary protection. And, if asked they will tell you it has a UL RSC burglary rating.
There are some safes like the Fortress model that offer good burglary and fire protection as well as high security safes with fire protection like the TL-15 Diamond Vault (Diamond Vault Plus) and TL-30 Diamond Vault Ultra (Diamond Vault Ultra).
These safes are usually too big and heavy for a residential delivery which is why they are not routinely offered. They also cost a lot more.
The best safe for jewelry is made of steel. It must be commercial quality which is defined as a safe with at least a solid ½ inch steel door and ¼ inch steel body like the Jewel Guard model. It is the ideal jewelry safe for home because it provides very strong burglary protection while its weight allows for easy installation anywhere. It can also be fabricated in any size.
For homeowners who may want an even stronger all steel safe the TL15 Gem Guard and TL30 Gem Guard Ultra are the strongest steel safes in the world.
The safe should be convenient to access which is often in the master bedroom closet. Sometimes these are referred to as home safes even though they are located in the master bedroom closet. The most popular sizes can be installed anywhere including upstairs. Depending on the safe’s size it can be elevated into millwork or sit on the floor.
If the safe is only for jewelry, a luxury jewelry safe between 2-4 feet tall satisfies the storage needs for most homeowners. Additional height is often desired for watch winders or shelf space for miscellaneous items. Location often determines the safe’s size. A steel safe like the Jewel Guard provides maximum security with the ability to fabricate in any size, even as narrow as 14 inches.
Outfitting the safe with a beautiful, handcrafted jewelry interior turns a plain safe into a luxury safe. It adds to the cost, but it is a small price to pay for the luxury and convenience of keeping your jewelry organized, accessible. and secure.
Just as the strength of safes vary so does the quality of jewelry interiors. Companies that mass produce safes for high volume online sales also mass produce lesser quality jewelry drawers that cannot compare to fine artisan craftsmanship that lets you admire and enjoy your jewelry even when you are not wearing it.
A safe provides reassurance that your most valued possessions are accessible and secure. In addition to being valuable, fine jewelry and family heirlooms are irreplaceable. At Luxe Safes we will work with you, your architect or designer and build a beautiful custom jewelry safe that is uniquely yours while ensuring a seamless white-glove installation.
My name is Robert Tompkin, and I am the founder of Luxe Safes, Inc., a safe and vault company that specializes in manufacturing high security custom jewelry safes for homeowners.
For the past twenty years I have worked with many of the world’s most renowned high-end residential architects and interior designers. They place their confidence in our ability to protect their clients’ most valuable possessions in the strongest and most beautiful jewelry safes.
I have also worked direct with thousands of homeowners who have entrusted us to secure their irreplaceable collection of jewelry, watches and family heirlooms.
Our ability to fabricate safes in any size, any color and any configuration allows our safes to be installed anywhere in the home that is most convenient.
To help properly store your unique collection of jewelry and watches while maximizing storage capacity we will help you customize and design each drawer.
We are proud that our clients rely on our expertise to provide high security safes that are customized to satisfy their specific storage needs. We understand that the intrinsic and monetary value of your jewelry collection is often irreplaceable.
It is that respect for your valuables and your trust that we are committed to manufacturing the world’s strongest and most beautiful safes.
