Wedding season is under way - and many couples busy preparing for the big day, making sure their pricey new purchases are properly insured may slip down the list of priorities.

Halifax Home Insurance says it received hundreds of claims for lost or stolen jewellery last year.

And with the price of precious metals fluctuating, experts also recommend that items of jewellery are valued every few years by an accredited professional, to help ensure you’re insured for the right amount.

David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, says: “When planning a proposal or your wedding, it’s easy to forget about the importance of having your jewellery insured.

“We are therefore reminding people of the importance of making sure your jewellery is covered for theft, damage and loss both inside and outside the home.

“Making sure you have the right level of cover means newlyweds can leave for their honeymoon knowing that their jewellery is properly protected.”

Here are Halifax Home Insurance’s top tips:

1. Tell your insurer about any high-value items, and keep valuation certificates or receipts in case you need to claim.

2. Think about whether you need to take out additional specified items cover to insure your most precious possessions.

3. Don’t leave jewellery lying around in conspicuous places, such as on windowsills, which can be easily reached by thieves.

4. Keep valuables in a safe or locked cabinet and avoid more obvious places where thieves might look, such as under the bed or in bedside drawers.

5. While you’ll want to have photos of your big day, also remember to take photos of your valuable items as this can help insurers to process a claim more easily, or to help have something re-created.