Baubles, Bangles, and Brooches: Let’s Talk About Your Jewelry
We are all looking for at-home tasks to complete around the house to make us feel more productive during this quarantine. Why not organize your jewelry? It will be good for you to know what lives at the bottom of your jewelry box, and productive to catalog it to pass along to loved ones.
Here are some tips for your best organization:
Separate it into costume and the real stuff. Some better costume pieces might be valuable or have great sentimental value, so don’t discount the importance of any particular piece of costume jewelry.
Perhaps you inherited some heirloom or vintage jewelry that you just don’t wear, or have pieces that you think are outdated. Why not redesign them into something you love? Many jewelers have CAD software that will show you exactly what a new piece will look like, and you can tweak the design with them so the piece becomes something you absolutely love. Reusing old stones and old gold is a wonderful way to honor the past and preserve sentimental value.
Some charitable organizations are happy to take your less-than-perfect items, including single earrings and broken pieces.
Take unwanted gold jewelry to your favorite jewelry store to sell for scrap.
Separate some of your fun costume jewelry by color, so that you will be ready with some beautiful combinations to accessorize your outfits when the world opens up again.
Polish anything that is tarnished, and store it in a sterling silver keeper bag.
Build a history around special pieces — whether they have great monetary or sentimental value. Have you seen any of the photos of Kate Middleton wearing jewelry that once belonged to Princess Diana? Wouldn’t it be wonderful for your daughter or your niece to know the story behind the piece she is going to inherit? Do this by printing out its story — when did you get it? Who bought it for you? Was there a special event you wore it to? A special dress you paired it with? As a bonus, if you have a vintage photo of yourself wearing it, attach that. You can put the piece, the description, and the photo together in a pretty quilted bag.
Once you have all your jewelry organized, invest in some fun containers that will allow you to see your collection. Do you want a dresser-top box that closes, a designated jewelry drawer in your dresser, or do you want to display your jewelry on the wall? There are boxes and organizers that will help you store even your chunkiest bracelets and longest necklaces. Look at Pinterest for ideas on creative ways to display jewelry inside your closet, from as simple as hanging it on a pegboard with hooks, to stately jewelry armoires that resemble Victorian furniture and full-length mirrors with hooks for jewelry hidden inside.
Remember, if you don’t know what you have, then you certainly can’t wear it. Now that you are all organized, you will be good to go when we can regroup for the Ladies’ Luncheons and Nights Out on the Town!