Tips for organizing your jewelry collection

Just as kids get organized with back-to-school notebooks and pencil cases, this is a good season to organize and declutter your jewelry. There’s nothing worse than not being able to wear something because it’s tangled, damaged, or in a jewelry box pileup. It’s time to bring order and peace to your favorite baubles.

Here are some useful organizing suggestions from Better Homes and Gardens and Architectural Digest:

Start by inspecting your jewelry

• What do you wear vs what’s sat in a drawer or box for years? Time to make “sell,” “give away,” and “donate” piles. And that goes for mismatched earrings too—time to repurpose or toss.
• What needs to be repaired—and is it worth repairing? If yes, take it to a jeweler; if not, maybe it’s ready for the sell/donate pile.
• What can’t be worn right now because of tarnish or dull, lusterless stones? Get out the appropriate metal polish and follow up with a soft cloth and warm soapy water for the gemstones. Take your fine gems (diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires) to a jeweler for cleaning and to make sure all the prongs are tight.
• What has value for you but it’s just not something you wear? Maybe it’s time to think about restyling it into jewelry that’s more your style?

Create a home for your jewelry

• Designate a drawer—you can get organizers with different-sized storage compartments for your earrings, bracelets, rings, and necklaces. You can even add stackable trays of storage boxes; think of how jewelers store their jewelry in their cases. (And the man in your life can use some of the storage cubes for cufflinks!)
• If you have fine gemstones or pearls, be sure to keep them separated from other pieces that might scratch them. Pearls are especially soft and are best kept in soft pouches by themselves.
• Another great idea is to look around vintage stores or flea markets for interesting ways to display (and organize) your necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. An empty picture frame with 4 or 5 hooks inside (where the picture would be) is a great way to hang necklaces without tangles. So are old wooden key holders. Antique bowls and trays are an attractive way to house your rings.
• You can buy ready-made stands that sit on your dresser or on a closet shelf. It can range from a wall-hung necklace holder to acrylic bracelet bars to hinged boxes with small holders for pairs of earrings and posts.

Make it a snap to accessorize

• I’ve got several pieces of jewelry I wear every day—so I keep a small decorative bowl on my nightstand with my favorite rings, earrings, and bracelet. This makes it so easy to grab what I need first thing in the morning!
• Creating a home for your jewelry isn’t one-and-done. If you’re rummaging to find items when you’re getting ready to go out, organization will fly out the window. So, it’s important to keep on top of replacing items in their correct storage homes.

Along with keeping your treasures organized, make sure they’re protected, too. If you don’t have up-to-date appraisals for your heirlooms, silver, gemstones, watches, or other valuable pieces, this is the time to take action—just contact me at (617) 304-0174 or at aimee@ambappraisal.com. Make it easy to wear your treasures with the peace of mind that an appraisal and insurance can give you.

Brilliantly yours, Aimee