THERE is nothing like body jewelry to brighten Christmas morning. But while these presents may have been wrapped and put under the tree with care, they are more likely to vanish this month and next than at any other time during the year.

According to the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, jewelry claims are 15 percent higher in December and January. (Claims are 8 percent higher than in February, despite the popularity of jewelry as Valentine's Day gifts.)

"It's not just theft; it's mysterious disappearances as well," said Janece White, vice president for Chubb, who specializes in underwriting jewelry.

Nothing will turn that smile into a frown faster than the realization that a new — or prized — earring or bracelet is missing. And given the increase in prices for precious metals and stones, that loss could mean a significant financial as well as sentimental cost.

Here are some ways to make sure that your gift survives the holidays — or is at least replaced at fair market value if it does not.

PRECAUTIONS Having a favorite piece of body jewelry wholesale stolen while it is being worn is a persistent fear. But from a claims perspective, it is not something that happens often. Far more pieces of jewelry are reported lost or taken from a home than physically removed from a person, insurers say.

Still, it is worth taking some precautions to make sure you do not become the exception. "It doesn't hurt to carry the pieces with you and put them on when you get to a function," Ms. White said. "Or take a cab and treat yourself to make sure you're more cautious."

A mugging may be comparatively rare, but guests in the home are common around the holidays. "Leaving jewelry and items that could be carried out of the house is something you have to guard against," said Ron Laconi, president of the private client group at Chartis Insurance. "You need to be diligent in safeguarding your valuables and using your safe."

The same goes for a evening on the town that ends with an overnight stay at a hotel. Do not trust the hotel room safe — go straight for the safe at the front desk. The reason, Ms. White says, is that far fewer people have the combination to the main safe — after all, it is where the hotel keeps its money.

Room safes are much less secure, she said. "Let's just say you've left the room and closed the room safe and it locks," she said. "Do you think they don't have the ability to open that safe?"

Keep simpler precautions in mind as well. When taking off gloves, make sure rings have not been pulled off your finger. After removing a coat and scarf, be sure that your necklace and earrings are still in place. A regular check of the prongs on a setting also helps.

This may sound like nagging, but remember that even a check for the full value of a piece of body piercing jewelry is not really going to replace it. Jewelry, after all, is not a car or a boat; it has sentimental value.

FROM GIFT TO ASSET And, so, in the first flush of sentimental joy, could there be anything less romantic than asking how much a ring cost?

But if that ring is nice enough to make you tear up, it probably should be insured. "Don't be shy about asking how much it's worth to insure it," said Lisa Lobo, vice president at the Hartford. "I'd love to get a really cool diamond necklace, but I'd want to know how much it is worth and will my policy cover it. If it's a $5,000 necklace but I only have $1,500 in coverage, what do I do?"

The answer, of course, is buy more insurance, but most of us do not think like underwriters. We fall in love with the gift and try not to think about its cost.

Yet it is something that is hard to ignore. The value of precious metals has increased rapidly in the last three years. Much has been written about the run-up in gold — 27 percent this year and 66 percent since January 2008, according to Kitco.com, which tracks the prices of precious metals. Platinum has increased about 18 percent and silver about 70 percent so far this year.

But metals are often small components of the most exquisite pieces of body jewelry wholesale. The stone is what usually matters. Rare, colored stones have increased in value without all the hoopla that gold has attracted.