How do you store your jewelry? - YouLookFab Forum

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How do you store your jewelry?

MsMaven

Veteran

For me it is important to keep jewelry easily available--out of sight out of mind. I would like to know what kind of storage systems you like to use for different types of jewelry, including fine jewelry that is attractive to burglars but not so valuable you feel you need to keep it locked in the bank.

Last week I got out all the jewelry I have at home and sorted and cleaned it. I found pieces that may be back in style again. Now I'm trying to figure out how and where to store it. Our house was burglarized a few years ago and they took everything that was stored in our walk in closet as well as our safe, which was a small one and wasn't bolted in. They must have been disappointed when they opened it: old letters from my grandfather and funeral tapes, along with pink slips and a few papers there for fire protection.

I'm going to do some photo posts soon to get your opinion on which older pieces are still wearable and ideas on wearing them. Right now I'm longing for some rather expensive fashion jewelry I've seen in the last few weeks, but I don't want to buy stuff that will go along gathering dust with a lot of other unworn pieces.

Also I have different hair color now.

Here's a photo with one piece I still have from the mid-70s. It is braided gold with a tassel. I've thought of have the tassel made into a pendant. The gold is an off-gold color and the choker is braided strands. This is from a cruise--I think in 2004.

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Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from MsMaven

old chic

I feel the need to hide the good jewelry in a variety of places to try to foil burglars. I haven't been burglarized since college, but I don't want to tempt fate.

Banoffi

Veteran

I hang all my fashion jewelry necklaces on a slide-out tie rack that's installed in my closet (like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/515099276100005918/). All my fine jewelry is in a safe in the closet; I have velvet-y jewelry trays in it that I bought at the Container Store.

Eliza

Veteran

MsMaven- love that necklace! Somehow both classic and au current.

As to the great jewelry that gathers dust, I have had that same thought. I accumulated some special pieces over the years and used to save them for major moments. This year I hit a new decade marker and perhaps coincidentally, changed my approach to jewelry. Now I insure it and wear it. I am also choosing items that I think are beautiful and special, but don't scream major in any way. I wear my new "fancy" earrings to the grocery store. Likely only I know what they are. This is working for me.

Now about storage: I have the ones I wear daily in narrow jewelry drawers that are part of my dresser. I have some valuable items hidden in one unlikely to be found place (that I should show to my husband every 6 months so he doesn't forget...). I think about building in a safe for the very best and most sentimental pieces. I'll be following this thread with interest, as all this isn't the best way to go.

Anonymous

Bane of my existence. Didn't we have a thread on this topic not too long ago? I remember Janet showing her antique cabinet that she stores her pieces in.....

Mine are in shoeboxes, hanging from coat hooks I've screwed into boards, in vintage cups and saucers, in jewellery boxes - ALL OVER THE PLACE! And I never know what I have or where it is if it's not one of the 10 pieces I wear regularly. I need to figure out a better system, but it's well down on the list of things to improve, sadly .

Interested to hear who else chimes in here and what suggestions there are.

April

Veteran

No storage involved, because I wear all of it every day.

Which is to say, I have thin silver hoops, big watch, and wedding band. That's kind of it, and it's always on me.

Might be time to branch out a bit, eh?

Echo

Veteran

We've never been burglarized (knock on wood), and I keep my jewelry in a machinist's chest (more drawers than a jewelry box). I never, ever hang necklaces; it can damage fine chains and stretch out the silk on which pearls are strung. When we travel, I take the most important pieces to the safety deposit box in the bank - not because they are amazingly valuable, but because I would be gutted to lose them for any reason (fire, natural disaster, theft, etc.).

Meredith

Veteran

My college roommate told me that her mother stored her diamonds in the pocket of an old robe at the back of the closet. That's always stuck with me as an interesting solution, but I have very few pieces of value myself. I store my silver pieces in a charming silver box that my husband gave me. The rest is in flat plastic organizer in my top drawer. A few pieces (the ones I am reaching for currently) get left out in little China dishes, are draped over a mini sewing form, or just plain left on the table. I've got a bit of a beautiful mess look going on.

SecretSquirrel

(website)

I understand the caution against being burgled. For that reason I hide what I have away in an odd place! But I am a visual person, so I have snapshots on my phone to remind me what I have (not much it has to be said, as I tend to wear the same pieces every day).

lisaflex

Veteran

costume stuff is in silk bags on dresser next to a very large jewelry box - the silk bags hold costume necklaces. the large jewelery box holds earrings and bracelets.

the good stuff is in a locked safe that is hidden in the house. i know whats in there so when i want it, i get it out...

Meow

Veteran

I make jewelry so I have a huge amount all over the place. Your necklace is lovely and back in style! I rarely get rid of jewelry - unless it's beyond repair. You never know when it will come back in style!

What I found works the best is small clear zip lock jewelry bags. Clear so you can see what's inside and plastic because it reduces oxidation. For the jewelry I sell, I add a small anti - tarnish strip in the bag. Also the bags keep necklaces less tangled and reduces scratching. Metal is soft and it takes A TON of work to get a high shine. Also many stones will scratch. I put all these bags into a shallow drawer. Then I organize by type into plastic drawer organizers that fits my drawer. I think they're actually for cutlery. I have 5 of these 4" wide by 16" long drawer organizers - One each for necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, and brooches.

This is not the fastest system if you want to grab and go. I also have small decorative bowls on my dresser top, an earring tree thingy on my dresser (that I hardly use) and felt lined trays inside a drawer. I should add something next to the couch because I always seem to take my jewelry off there while watching TV!

For really valuable items or something with sentimental value, I would lock up. So sorry to hear about your burglary MsMaven. I need to think more on that and get a better locking system.

http://www.storables.com/4-quo.....nizer.html

Style Fan

Veteran

I also remember a thread on this topic. Janet had a great armoire for storage. I have a couple of jewellery boxes and a jewellery armoire that I got at Walmart. I also have jewellery on some hooks in a closet and in some baskets. I had hoped the jewellery armoire would solve my storage problem. Hah! I was dreaming. So I developed a system with my jewellery boxes.
My large jewellery box from 40 years ago holds my valuable jewellery that I don't wear. It holds things like my sterling silver charm bracelet (remember those), necklaces, etc. from old boyfriends, earrings I would never wear, etc.
My little jewellery box that I got when I was in Grade 8 holds earrings I like but don't wear because they are out of date or something like that.
Then I have my mother's jewellery box that holds her non valuable jewellery. A lot of horse brooches. And owl brooches.
My large jewellery armoire holds the majority of my jewellery that I wear. Except the stuff that hangs on hooks.
I need a closet.
Our house has an alarm system. I think burglars go for electronics. But what do I know.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

The basic bangles and watch I wear most every day plus a pair of silver studs and a bigger pair of silver earrings live in my purse, so even if I rush out of the house in the morning I don't feel naked.

Most of my jewelry is in the top drawers in my chest of drawers, in a combination of partitioned plastic craft boxes, egg carton tops and bottoms, small tubs, etc. divided by type. Bangle bracelets in one tub, non fancy non bangle bracelets in another container, better bracelets in another. Stud earrings in a flat one layer jewelry box that lives above a bigger partitioned box for dangles, and so on and so on.

Yes, I have a lot of jewelry. I have made a lot and my mother makes and gifts me with many of her handmade fused glass pendants. I have a lot of silver or semiprecious or hand made jewelry. I don't have anything worth insuring besides my engagement ring and maybe one other ring.
I sometimes think I should have investment pieces rather than lots of others, but I enjoy the creative process, so money has gone to art and craft supplies rather than to a jeweler. And ultimately, that makes me happier.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Your gold choker is very cool.

I have so little jewellery that storage is not a big issue. I have a small ceramic tray that one of my kids gave me -- it's the size of a butter plate -- that I leave the main stuff in: four necklaces, and five rings. It sits out on my bedroom bookshelf. Most days, I only wear rings (one on each hand) and the small hoop earrings that I never take out. I have a small wooden jewellery box with a glass lid that I keep the rest in -- the rest being a few cuff bracelets, a strand of pearls that I wear once a year, some broken antique jewellery of my grandma's, miscellaneous stud earrings and rings that rarely get worn, and several pairs of enormous and fabulous chandelier earrings that were expensive but that really haven't worked with my style for about fifteen years.

It's funny, I used to be such a big fan of jewellery in my teens -- I don't know what happened. I think I like the pieces I like so much that I can't bear to switch them out with "lesser" pieces. That, and I often can't be bothered.

Debbie

Veteran

Jewelry storage is the bane of my existence. I have a lot of it and I never seen be able to come up with a prefect system. I actually have something in mind that what to hunt for.
I am looking for antique typeset drawers.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/2.....fgodhLAMlQ
I wish I could find a little chest of these. Who knows.

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I noticed out-of-sight-out-of-mind happening to me too. I used to store all jewelry in boxes, in individual mesh bags. But then it was such a pain to find a particular necklace I wanted in a rush!!! I mean I could see through the mesh bags, but I still had to go through them all to find the pieces I wore the most.

Last month, after reading Janet's thread, I decided to copy Brooklyn. (Or at least, I think it was Brooklyn who gave me this idea. I'm sorry if I remember this incorrectly.) I now have small steel hooks stuck to the inside surface of my wardrobe doors. From these, I now hang my favourite pieces so they are all easily accessible. This does include the precious jewelry I wear often too....a couple of gold and pearl long necklaces. The ones I don't wear very often are still in that same box in my dresser.

As for the other precious jewelry, I have them in a safe in this same wardrobe. But that's not because I fear being burglarized (if someone has managed to get inside the cupboard, the safe wouldn't be that difficult to find and break into), it's because I simply don't wear them AT ALL.

My diamond earrings and rings are in a drawer in the same wardrobe. I don't change them often, so they are all in their original boxes. I tend to wear the same rings and earrings for months before I feel like a change, and these days I rarely wear artificial earrings or rings at all.

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Gigi

Veteran

My storage is abominable! I take my maybe ten rings and put them all in a little plastic screw-top container from the dollar store. The necklaces--I think I have four--all get thrown together in the same little box from the jewelry store (it was a little box for earrings). The earrings (about four or five pair) all get thrown together in their own little box from the jewelry store. I cannot seem to find a nice jewelry box that is the size I want and has the type of compartments I want. They are either too large or too small or don't have the right spaces inside. I should probably put the necklaces in ziplocks, as suggested above.

Keix

Veteran

I keep a spreadsheet of all of my wardrobe items, and between two houses (a lot of stuff I left at my parents' place when I went to college and haven't touched since) I have 143 pieces of jewelry, including hair ornaments. Eek!

Of the stuff I did bring with me to college and then again to California, I recently sorted it into two categories. The pieces I actually wear and/or genuinely love (vs. just having a sentimental attachment to) go in a stacking jewelry box from The Container Store. I love the stacking feature! Makes it much faster to access items in the morning and I can expand easily.

I have a ton of sentimental jewelry, including fine jewelry, because it's been my relatives' go-to birthday/new year's gift for my entire life. They purchase it in China, where nice costume jewelry isn't really a "thing", so the quality is always good but the style may or may not be to my taste.

Murph11

Veteran

This double-sided multi zippered organizer works best for me, and I keep a small glass box on my dresser for my most used pieces. I hang it between bulky robes when we head out of town, although it's all costume.

http://www.storables.com/black.....nizer.html

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Colette

Veteran

I use drawers in a dresser to store all my jewelry. I use jewelry trays from the Container Store and some special pieces I keep in their original boxes. While it's all organized it is not user friendly. I forget what I have and keeping it organized is a pain. That's one of the reasons why I stopped wearing all but a few basics.

However, my cousin has this jewelry organizer cabinet that is amazing. It is mirrored, turns and locks. She loves it and highly recommends it. She started wearing all her gorgeous jewelry now that she has the cabinet and can see everything at a glance. I also posted this on the thread Janet started a while ago about jewelry storage.

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MsMaven

Veteran

You've given me great feedback and many interesting ideas. A couple of months ago I started using the small plastic bags for pills for my earrings. It keeps them together and it is easier to keep track of what I have. I just haven't figured out what to do with them. I still keep most bracelets in soft pouches and try to keep necklaces in the flat folders (not sure what they are called) you get from the jewelry stores.

Murph, I like the idea of the hanging organizer. Our closet door is nearly always open and I suspect the bad guys didn't look there because of the way the closet is arranged. It would be easy to grab it and put it somewhere else when we are gone.

The alarm company gave us ideas for places to hide the jewelry, in the kitchen for example. He noted that the burglars could see the motion detector light blinking in the hallway into the kitchen and didn't go there, not knowing that that alarm wasn't set.

They didn't take cameras or electronics--our laptops and cameras were right there. They didn't take DH's wallet with foreign currency, even though they went through it. His feelings were slightly hurt because they didn't think his silver cufflinks were worth taking.

Our neighbors are from Syria and when their house was burglarized, and a valuable bracelet and Syrian currency were taken. Later they were stopped by the cops for a traffic violation and the currency was found, so easy to find out who it belonged to. And the bracelet was returned. They didn't take credit cards either.

I've wondered about kitchen drawer organizers. One suggestion was to have a lock on one of the kitchen cupboards, but I suspect that would be an invitation to break into it.