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Things To Consider When Buying a

Jewelry Safe

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a luxury jewelry safe is an investment that, when made carefully, will provide years of protection and enjoyment. To select the right safe you should consider your “needs” vs. “wants”, and what will provide those requirements.

first, here are some basics to look for in a home jewelry safe. · Excellent burglar protection, preferably UL tested · Certified, significant fire protection · Customizable organization system · Expert advice in the selection of your safe

Then you need to think about your needs and desires, and prioritize. · Where will you put the safe? · How much secure storage space do you need? · How much burglar protection is enough? · Why wouldn’t you get fire protection? · What luxury features do you want?

issues with supporting a safe of up to 900 lbs. on an upper floor.

However, there maybe an issue in getting it there. Are stairs and landings large enough to bring the safe up? Is craning the safe to a balcony a viable option? Be prepared to measure any landings and take photos in order to get confirmation.

As you consider where you will have the safe placed, keep in mind that quality jewelry safes have drawers.

To fully extend the drawers, the door of the safe will need to be opened beyond

ChooSe a

loCaTion for

your Jewelry

Safe

One of the most important considerations is where the safe will be located. Convenient access is critical. Your safe won’t provide you the security you are looking for if you don’t use it.

As an example, let’s say you get dressed upstairs and the safe is in a downstairs closet or the garage, it’s unlikely that at the end of the evening you will head

back downstairs to put your jewelry away. Instead, you leave it on the bathroom counter and before you know, morning arrives and you are rushing out of the house, with your jewelry in a vulnerable spot on the bathroom counter. If however, your safe is located near your dressing area, you would be more likely to put your jewelry away in your safe at night, where it is secure.

If your master bedroom is on the second floor, that may be the most convenient place for your jewelry safe. With modern construction, generally there are no

Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL), indicate a minimum standard of performance during testing.

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evaluaTe levelS

of Burglar

ProTeCTion

By definition, even a fishing tackle box could be considered a safe, but I certainly would not trust a tackle box to secure my valuables. Clearly the term needs to be redefined. It is important to know what kind of security a safe offers to avoid investing in a “false sense of security”. Ratings, classifications and labels help with this understanding.

There are two different systems used to describe levels of burglar security: construction ratings and performance ratings. Construction ratings describe how the safe was constructed, while performance ratings, as defined by Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL), indicate a minimum standard of performance during testing. In some cases these

90°, likely up to 145°. Most safes have hinges on the right and swing left to right. If you want to place the safe in a corner, it would be best to have the left side of the safe in the corner, to allow the door room to swing wide to the right.

If the safe you have in mind is less than 450 lbs., it is vulnerable to being removed and should be bolted down. Bolt down is an additional level of security that is worth considering and critical for lower weight safes. Bolting down to a concrete floor is the best security, while bolting down to a wood floor may be less so because a strong rocking of the safe may break it free.

Smaller safes placed on the floor present another issue with regard to convenient access, and is worth considering. Most of us will tire quickly of bending down low enough to gain access to the safe. A solid construction shelf or pedestal can bring the safe closer to waist or chest level and make your safe much easier to use.

If you are considering lighting or watch winders for your safe, keep in mind you

may need to locate your safe in an area that is AC power accessible.

DeTermine how

muCh SeCure

STorage SPaCe

you neeD

Is this safe for you alone or for a partner as well? Take an informal inventory of the jewelry you currently have and want to secure. Keep in mind that you may need room in the safe for your collection to grow. Many folks also want to secure important papers, silver flatware, coins or other valuable items. In that case, a second safe in a different location may be better for these items.

New customers often tell us that they should have purchased a bigger safe the first time. It can be difficult to anticipate all the things you will need to secure in the years ahead, so think it through now.

“ iT is imporTanT To knoW WhaT kind of seCuriTy a safe offers To avoid invesTing in a ‘false sense of seCuriTy’”

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UL ratings also include construction requirements.

In selecting the appropriate level of burglar protection for your home burglar safe, you need to weigh the value of the items you want to secure, in dollars and sentimental value, along with the amount of money you are willing to spend. The absolute minimum criteria should be that the safe carry the UL Residential Security Container (RSC) label.

The high-end that you may want to consider is a UL TL-30 burglary rating. As an added measure of security, you may want to consider having your safe bolted to the floor or have the safe and/or it’s lock integrated with your security system.

The lock is a key component in the security of your safe. Most quality jewelry safes will offer you a choice of locks: mechanical, electronic/digital, or biometric. The most important criteria in your lock is that it is certified as a “high security” lock by UL. Any safe with a rating of RSC or better will have a high security UL rated lock. These three types of locks are equally secure but differ in the way they are used.

with a pre-set combination, and to change it requires a locksmith or safe technician. To open the lock, spin 4 times left to the first number, 3 times right to the second number, 2 times left to the third number and then right until it stops. Each time you come to the number you need, be sure to stop right on the tick mark (no backing up because you just passed it). As we get older, it is more difficult to see the tick marks, especially if the lighting isn’t good.

We recently had a distraught customer who said that his wife was so frustrated with their mechanical lock that she never locked the safe and they had $350,000 in valuables stolen. He is now getting a digital lock on his new safe and you can bet it will be used!

The most popular by far is the electronic or digital lock. These locks are easy to use and allow you to select your own combination which you can change at any time.

They are most often powered by 9-volt batteries that are located in the keypad on the outside of the safe. No worries about getting locked out of the safe when the batteries run out. For your protection, the locks are designed to block anyone from repeatedly trying different combinations in hopes of opening the safe. After 4 incorrect attempts the lock shuts down for 15-20 minutes. When the lock-out period ends, the next time an incorrect combination is entered, it goes right into lock-out mode for an additional period of time.

You may be familiar with mechanical locks, which are often featured in movies. While they offer security, they are not very convenient to use. The mechanical locks come from the factory

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how much fire protection is enough. However, some fire protection is better than none, especially at no additional cost.

Fire classifications and ratings include three primary components: maximum exterior temperature, length of burn time and maximum interior temperature. Underwriters Laboratory (UL) is the best of a few independent agencies that test for fire endurance. In addition, UL tests for explosion hazard and impact. A typical house fire can reach 1200°F, the minimum external temperature at which most fire testing is done.

It is generally agreed that a maximum interior temperature of 350°F is adequate for most valuables, with paper charring at 450°F. Electronic media is more sensitive and therefore subject to a higher standard, commonly accepted to be either 150°F with a maximum of 85% humidity or 125°F with a maximum of 80% humidity, according to what type of electronic media is being protected.

For home environments, having a safe that meets

Biometric locks are becoming increasingly popular for convenience and the “coolness” factor. The good ones are still relatively new on the market, but reliability is looking very strong. Generally these locks allow several fingerprints to be registered. If you choose this lock you can register your fingerprint in multiple positions on the pad to allow for variations in placement. The cost can be a deterrant at between $500 -$1,000 more than other locks.

If you want to go with this option, be sure to select one that has been around for awhile and proven to be reliable in the field.

For more information on burglary and fire ratings see our Burglar and Fire Rating Guide.

DeTermine

how muCh fire

ProTeCTion you

wanT

So you say you have a sprinkler system in your home and don’t need fire protection for your safe? Although you probably have an alarm system, you may feel the need for additional

burglar protection. The safe is your last line of defense –both in burglar protection and fire protection. Look for a UL burglary safe that provides fire protection at no additional cost! Your safe is an investment, buy correctly now and you will not regret it.

Given that fire protection is a good idea, how much fire protection do you need?

Jewelry safes typically offer anywhere from 30 minutes of fire protection to 2 hours. Fire authorities don’t keep statistics on average maximum temperature of a home fire or length of time that a typical home burns. There are too many variables, such as climate, humidity, wind, type of fuel, etc., to make that possible. And speaking to the fire experts isn’t much help either, with some firemen indicating they are comfortable with a 30 minute fire safe and others wanting significantly more.

Certainly, one consideration is how far you live from the nearest fire station. Those of us living in cities or suburbs will likely get help quickly from the fire authorities.

We each need to come to our own conclusion about

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Seek aDviCe from

a SPeCialiST

There is much to consider as you select the right home jewelry safe for your particular needs. As you evaluate options for this long-term investment it is well worth your time to seek the advice of a professional who is eager to spend time with you and listen to your specific desires.

Contact a jewelry safe specialist who can discuss your particular needs with you and guide you in the right direction.

Don’t delay! Each day you wait is one more day that your precious jewelry remains at risk. Casoro Jewelry Safes are worth the investment. Casoro Jewelry Safes are on display in our Southern California showroom. if you live in the area come by and see us. The best way to appreciate the quality of our products and the sincerity of our customer service is in person. if you are unable to visit us, our Jewelry Safe Design kit is the next best thing. Call or visit the Buying guide on our web site to order it today!

To view a gallery of SafeS

or learn more, viSiT www.

CaSoroJewelrySafeS.Com

these media standards is usually not practical. Instead we suggest using a small fire safe within your jewelry safe for your electronic media.

The challenge with fire ratings is that different testers conduct tests based on different circumstances. The testing time can include or not include the time it takes to heat to maximum exterior temperature, 350°F interior temperature as the average or the maximum interior temperature, etc. UL is known to have the most comprehensive and stringent standards for testing.

ConSiDer luxury

feaTureS

After you have ensured that you are considering safes that provide solid burglar and fire protection, it’s time to consider some of the convenience and luxury features. Jewelry safes can be pretty basic and quite affordable, or dressed up with lots of luxury appointments to please the most discriminating buyer.

To provide organization and convenience, your jewelry safe should include a chest of drawers lined with a protective fabric and compartments that

work with the pieces of jewelry you plan to secure. The jewelry chest may be a production unit made overseas that meets the basic needs but doesn’t offer the option for much customization. Higher-end jewelry safes offer a gallery-quality chest made of exotic wood with any number of drawers you desire, lined in elegant ultra-suede in the color of your choice, with each drawer interior providing compartments to organize your unique collection.

Additional features available with the better luxury jewelry safes include: biometric locks, interior lighting, necklace racks, watch winders, file drawers, and pedestals to raise smaller safes up to eye level.