Designer sunglasses are becoming more and more popular and are valued in the thousands of dollars and typically have precious stones or diamonds. Are these sunglasses considered jewelry under Coverage C and subject to the sublimits for theft?
Michigan Subscriber
You have an interesting question. When a policy doesn't define a term, courts turn to a standard desk reference. Merriam-Webster online defines jewelry as:ornamental pieces (such as rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets) that are made of materials which may or may not be precious (such as gold, silver, glass, and plastic), are often set with genuine or imitation gems, and are worn for personal adornment. Eyeglasses are defined as: a device used to correct defects of vision or to protect the eyes that consists typically of a pair of glass or plastic lenses and the frame by which they are held in place.
The two items are separate, and even if the glasses have precious stones, there is still a purpose other than strictly adornment; the purpose is to protect the eyes. We can find 3 forms that specifically mention eyeglasses – first the HO 05, Comprehensive form which excludes eyeglasses from breakage but provides coverage for them from certain named perils. Under the Special Personal Property Coverage HO 05 24 breakage of eyeglasses is again excluded, and again coverage from certain named perils is provided. Lastly, the Assisted Living Care Coverage provides $100 for eyeglasses.
We mention these forms to highlight the fact that ISO considers eyeglasses separate from jewelry, in agreement with the dictionary definitions. If your insured has glasses with precious stones or diamonds, we would recommend making sure the insured has documentation as to the nature and cut/color/quality of the stones. Depending on the value you might want to check with underwriting and see if they can schedule the items. The glasses would not be considered jewelry, and would not fall under the special limit. However, it would be prudent to advise the insured to be careful with said glasses.