It's gone forever then, and it could be a wonderful family treasure to be handed down, and cherished.
We have had the kids in the family draw pictures to "grandma/grandpa" - and a family picture, a note of love...
It's very personal, and also if people want to be buried with their jewelry...they should know that it could be stolen, once the family leaves the cemetary.
This is a great idea. I had a friend tell me about his father's funeral. It seems that during his father's life he was everyone's confidant, children, adults. And he had a way of getting people to share their secrets with him. When anyone had a problem they couldn't talk about, he would tell them to write it on a little note and put it in his pocket...and he would carry their trouble for them. He evidently did this all his life. The family knew that he did it with them, especially the children, but they didn't know how far his influence reached. At the wake, my friend said he noticed that the pockets in his father's suit were bulging. When he invetigated, he found them full of little notes. People had been going up to the casket and leaving him a note, one last time.