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.

"We understand the great value and meaning jewelry holds for our customers, especially during special times like Valentine's Day," said Peter Engel, president of Fred Meyer Jewelers, a leading jewelry retailer also operating under the banner of Littman Jewelers. The company maintains a focus on customer service and wants to ensure that customers enjoy their jewelry for a lifetime. "This is why we partnered with Assurant Solutions to offer our customers a lifetime jewelry care plan."

To further safeguard your fine jewelry, follow these tips:

• Have rings and other fine jewelry cleaned and checked by your fine jewelry professional at least once a year. The stones may last forever, but the mounting may not.
• Store your fine jewelry carefully in a jewelry box or the original case. Keep them out of the reach of children and pets.
• Remove jewelry when reaching into tight spaces such as under the mattress or even into your jeans pocket. Also, be careful when working in small spaces.
• Remove jewelry before doing the dishes, bathing or swimming.
• Never place jewelry on the edge of the sink where it could easily be knocked into the drain. Cover drains with mesh to catch small items.

Assurant Solutions offers customized protection for jewelry, consumer electronics, appliances and other products well beyond the manufacturer's warranty. The plans provide millions of customers with the comfort of knowing their products can be repaired or replaced. For more information on jewelry care plans, visit www.fredmeyerjewelers.com or www.littmanjewelers.com.

About Assurant Solutions

Assurant Solutions businesses develop, underwrite, market and administer specialty insurance, extended service contracts and other risk management solutions through collaborative relationships with leading financial institutions, retailers, automobile dealers, funeral homes, manufacturers, wireless carriers and other entities. With operations in 25 locations, including executive offices in Atlanta, Assurant Solutions serves clients and their customers in 12 countries throughout North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and Asia. www.assurantsolutions.com.

Assurant Solutions is also part of Assurant, a premier provider of specialized insurance products and related services in North America and worldwide markets. Assurant, a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIZ. Assurant has approximately $27 billion in assets and $8 billion in annual revenue. Assurant has approximately 14,000 employees worldwide and is headquartered in New York's financial district. www.assurant.com.

SOURCE Assurant Solutions