Organizing your jewelry can feel like a tedious and repetitive process if not done appropriately, especially when you’re removing and returning items to your jewelry box every day. Depending on your usable space, jewelry collection, container drawers, and compartment trays, here’s some advice that you can apply while maintaining and organizing your jewelry sets.
Organizing Your Jewelry in 10 Easy Steps
1. Donate or sell anything that you no longer wear.
The first step is to clear out clutter and create space.
Inspect your collection and decide which jewelry you want to keep. A good way to determine this is to remove anything that you haven’t worn in the last two years to reconsider whether it still brings you joy.
While all of your jewelry is probably beautiful, if all it does is sit there and collect dust, it might be time to let it go.
Remove everything from your collection and try grouping each piece by type and by occasion. This will help you better see what you have to work with. You’ll also see if you have too much of one type of jewelry – a good indication that some could be donated. (More on categorizing in a moment!)
Now, what about the pieces you keep?
2. Clean, repair, and prevent tarnish.
When organizing your jewelry, it’s always a great time to clean and repair your accessories. Before putting everything back, take this time to polish and wipe down each piece. A jewelry polishing cloth is an effective and easy way to remove tarnish and buff gold or silver.
Address any items that need to be repaired and make sure to replace missing earring backs. Getting everything in order is a necessary second step.
3. Designate a jewelry drawer and compartment trays.
Place a drawer in your closet or bedroom. There are affordable jewelry drawer organizers that are incredibly helpful in sorting your necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings.
Compartments are also available as an alternative/additional storage space. You can purchase trays and even place them on top of each other to save space yet double your usable storage.
Look for expandable trays and organizers, too. These are customizable to fit your drawer shape and space.
4. Store necklaces on hooks to prevent knots.
Use small S-hooks to prevent knots. These hooks are highly useful for long necklaces and bracelets. You can also set up wall-mounted hooks or hang them on your make-up mirror, a closet door, or a cork board. If you have a utility board, you can hang them there. You can also use your jewelry as a form of art by hanging it on a series of hooks and racks on display.
Take note that the jewelry that you wear daily should be placed where it’s most convenient for you to grab it. This will make it more likely that at the end of the day, you’ll put everything in its proper place.
5. Group jewelry by category (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc.) and if needed, by sub-category.
You can get even more precise while organizing your jewelry.
For example, separating the dangling earrings from studs can make your life easier. Place compartment trays to keep the jewelry accessible and easier to separate. If you’re using trays, place the smaller items with each other while the big jewelry goes in bowls or dishes. Keep a small plate next to your nightstand so it will be easy to put away your daily accessories before going to bed, like your wedding ring and band.
6. Try to keep your jewelry collection somewhat visible.
Store your high-end earrings, necklaces, watches, and bracelets in jewelry holders that are open and transparent. It will help you to easily identify where they are when doing visual inventory.
Keeping your jewelry visible also makes it easier to pick out what you want to wear for the day, while helping you keep everything tidy and organized.
7. Maximize countertop space efficiently.
If you’re using countertops, maximize the vertical space by using stackable jewelry boxes. You can create custom solutions and use materials like acrylic, glass, metal, and other fabric-lined jewelry containers.
Build your solution by placing stacked modular organizers with drawers on the bottom. Keep your earrings and broaches separated while your daily jewelry can be placed on the topmost part for easy access.
A quick Amazon search will show you stackable compartments made specifically for the corner of the countertop.
8. Protect your fine jewelry.
Your special occasion accessories warrant their own special place. The biggest thing to remember is that you want to store them someplace where they’re protected from dust and anything that could potentially scratch them.
While jewelry organizer boxes can secure and protect your investment, you can also use drawstring bags, which offer both protection and cushioning.
9. Hang rings from nails or hooks.
Like hanging your necklaces, doing something similar with your rings can help prevent them from scratching each other. This can be as simple as hanging each ring from a nail, or you can opt for more decorative hooks or pegs.
10. Put Polaroids on Your Containers
We’ve talked about keeping your jewelry visible. If you want to kick this up a notch, you can take Polaroids of what each container or bin holds, and stick that to the front. That way, you can see what your options are without even having to go in it.
Organizing your jewelry is about making it easy to keep everything in order, and also protecting it so that it maintains its quality for years to come.
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