Oh no! You’ve lost an earring. Maybe it happened when you were putting it on. Maybe you went to find it in your jewelry box and—yikes—it’s not there and you have no idea when it went missing. Could someone have stolen it?
Not even Kim Kardashian can understand the depth of your despair (or can she?). In all seriousness, losing one-half of a cherished pair of earrings can be a distressing experience, especially if the jewel holds sentimental value. How do you locate a missing earring in your home? There’s a multi-step method to tackling the task. Yes, it might feel like you’re looking for a needle in a haystack, but keep reading—if you employ our search tips below, you might just reunite with your precious earring sooner than you think.
Stay Calm and Positive
We feel your pain—the moment you realized your earring went missing your heart sank. Then your mind raced. You panicked. You probably frantically tore apart your house, searching every nook and cranny in hopes of finding it. So the first step to finding your lost earring is actually to hit pause, take a deep breath, and resolve to find it when you’ve calmed down. Working yourself into a tizzy will only cloud your judgment and hinder your ability to think clearly. Take comfort in knowing that it’s possible to find your lost earring if you approach the task methodically. And don’t get discouraged if your lost earring doesn’t turn up right away. Patience and persistence pay off!
Retrace Your Steps
To begin the search for your lost earring, go back to the location where you remember wearing it last. Check the immediate area, including the floor and nearby surfaces. You may have to let your mind go back months, or even years, to remember what you were doing the last time you were wearing the lost earring. What might you have done with it? Did you put it in the wrong section of your jewelry box because you were tired and getting ready for bed in a hurry? Returning to the moment you might have lost your earring, whether it was moments ago or a longer time period, is key to recovering your lost earring so give yourself some time to really give it some thought.
Try the Flashlight Trick
This next tip comes from a real-life success story involving a Jewelers Mutual claims representative and a policyholder who lost her earring. Here’s what the JM claims rep suggested she do:
Turn off the lights in your home and scan every room with a flashlight. Hold it low to the ground and slowly sweep it back and forth, illuminating dark corners and crevices. Look for a shine, sparkle, or reflection.
Guess what? It worked! The policyholder found her lost earring and was able to avoid filing a claim. When you try this in your home, the flashlight on your phone works fine but for the best results, use an LED flashlight.
Use a Vacuum Cleaner Hose and a Pair of Old Tights
If you have a vacuum with a hose attachment, take a pair of nylon tights or stockings and stretch it over the nozzle. Turn your vacuum on and sweep where you think the lost earring might be. If it retrieves your earring, the fabric will trap it so it doesn’t get sucked into the vacuum.
Check Your Clothing
When an earring falls or slips off your ear, it can sometimes get caught in the folds of clothing, like a pocket or even a bra. Shake out your clothes gently to see if it reveals itself. Check inside your dresser drawers and the floor of your closet. Don’t forget to also look inside shoes or slippers, as well as purses.
Search Common Areas of Your Home
Here’s where the real detective work begins. Make sure to thoroughly search the most “lived-in” areas of your home, such as your bedroom, living room, kitchen, home office, and bathroom (and don’t forget entryways and hallways!). Be patient and thorough in your search for your lost earring and consider searching each room again if you don’t find it initially.
- Bedroom: Inspect your bed and bedding carefully, looking under your sheets and around your pillows. Slowly remove pillowcases and check inside the corners in case the lost earring slid inside while you were sleeping. Check all edges of the bed near the frame, both on top of the mattress and around the feet of the frame. Consider removing the mattress to ensure it’s not between the mattress and box spring. Go look on top of your dresser(s) and nightstand(s) or anywhere else you typically remove and leave your jewelry.
- Living room: Examine couches (lift those cushions) and chairs meticulously. Earrings can easily slip into the crevices of upholstered furniture. Scan entertainment centers and shelves, as lost earrings can land in random places during activities.
- Kitchen: Look closely at your countertops and tables. Check under and around kitchen appliances like the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher, as well as cabinets. Examine in and around the sink.
- Bathroom: Inspect your bathroom surfaces, sink(s), and around the toilet. Look in the shower, on the tub floor, around the drain, and on shelves. If you suspect the lost earring may have fallen down the sink or bathtub drain, you can DIY its removal or better yet, call in a plumber to take a closer look for you.
- Home office: Tidy up any clutter on your desk. Shuffle through any loose papers, look around and under your computer, and any decorative knick-knacks. Check underneath your desk and around the floor.
- Laundry room: Use a flashlight and/or feel around the inside of your washer and dryer. If you have a top-loading washing machine, check the lint trap inside. While inspecting your dryer, check the lint screen/filter. Look for your lost earring around the laundry room floor, including under and around the washer and dryer.
Let Your Hands and Feet Be Your Guide
Earrings might be tiny, but they can be sharp and spiky, especially the posts. Comb over each room by using your bare hands and feet to feel for the lost earring. This can be especially effective when searching for a lost earring on plush carpet, as its fibers could be covering up the earring.
Refrain from vacuuming until you’ve had the chance to thoroughly inspect the carpet for your lost earring. If you’ve already vacuumed, look inside the vacuum bag or filter to see if the lost earring accidentally got sucked up. If you have hardwood floors, use a Swiffer or microfiber dust mop to sweep debris into a concentrated area. Then examine or sift through the dirt to see if you spot the lost earring.
Recruit a Search Party
Enlist the help of family members or friends, as having an extra set of eyes can increase the chances of finding the lost earring. Construct a plan to divide and conquer, assigning each person a specific room to search. Incentivize to make it fun (i.e., the first person to find the lost earring gets a free meal at their favorite restaurant!). Remember, too, that young children are usually smaller than you (read: they are closer to the floor!), in many cases have better eyesight, and their little hands can more easily procure a lost earring in a hard-to-reach place—all will be to your advantage as you search.
Check Your Dog’s Poop (Yes, Really!)
If you have a dog and a lost earring, there’s always the possibility that Fido or Fifi ate it. Be mindful of any changes in your pet’s behavior (lethargy, won’t eat, etc.) or digestive patterns (constipation, vomiting). If anything seems out of the ordinary, a trip to the vet (complete with an X-ray) may be worthwhile. Otherwise, you can try the wait-and-see approach and see if your dog naturally passes the lost earring (good times).
File an Insurance Claim
If the lost earring is of significant value, and you have insurance, contact your insurance provider as soon as possible to initiate the claims process. Depending on the particulars of your policy, you could receive a reimbursement or replacement for your lost earring.
A typical homeowners or renters insurance policy does not cover jewelry that disappears or becomes lost. The only caveat is if you purchased additional coverage through a “rider” or “floater,” which increases your coverage limits and expands coverage to include a greater number of risks. Keep in mind, however, that filing a claim can have a negative impact on your entire policy, which may result in higher premiums and in some cases cancellation of your policy.
Looking ahead, you can avoid future financial (and emotional) heartache by taking out a standalone insurance policy with a company that specializes in jewelry insurance, like Jewelers Mutual.
It’s an affordable option that offers comprehensive coverage that goes beyond the limitations of homeowners insurance, covering against loss, damage, theft, and disappearance. Better yet, JM will work with your preferred jeweler to replace your lost item with one that is of the same kind and quality as the original.
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