Have you ever looked for a particular piece of jewelry to wear, but then after 10 minutes had to choose something else because you couldn't find it? Or perhaps spent 10-15 minutes looking for the OTHER earring? Well then, this What You Can Work On is for you.... this week's project: Jewelry Organization!
Small organizing projects you can tackle in just 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Whether you have a lot of jewelry or a handful, real or not, jewelry organization is a necessity that allows you to see all your jewelry, easily retrieve and place back jewelry, and help in the maintenance of your jewelry.
Organizing Your Jewelry Step by Step
Where is your jewelry going to be stored? Dresser top, a drawer, on a door, or on a wall? This will guide to what kind of jewelry organizers you will need.
Review ALL your jewelry. Get it all out in the open, and categorize it by type (earrings, bracelet, watch, etc), and whether you would wear it daily or on special occasions. Place any jewelry that needs repair or cleaning to the side. Any jewelry that is not fine jewelry, and cannot be cleaned or repaired can be pitched.
Decide on your jewelry organizers. You will need a combination and I suggest one for storing everything, one for placing the daily use jewelry, and one for travel. Use a separate jewelry organizer for your fine jewelry (diamonds, pearls, gold, silver, etc).
If you are dedicating a drawer (or part of a drawer) you have some great choices out there. However, I suggest an organizer that expands, or is part of a modular system. This allows you to give each type of jewelry an allotted space, and you can add to the system as your jewelry collection grows.
If you are dedicating a dresser top go with a modular system. This way it can be as minimal, or as large, as your collection without taking up all of the dresser top space.
If you are dedicating space on a wall or door you want to take exact inventory, and think about if you may add more jewelry in the future. You want to plan appropriately so it doesn't look random or messy, and has room for the jewelry you own and future additions. Here is a great jewelry organizer you can place over the door, or attach to the wall.
Last location. This is where we place our jewelry when we arrive home, or at the end of our day before going to bed. This is usually the dresser top or the night table. Wherever the location, you need a little something to hold and organize those items considering you will most likely wear it again tomorrow, if not the rest of your week. It can be as simple as a catchall, or an organizer that holds a watch, necklace/chain, rings, cufflinks, bracelet, and glasses.
TIP: There are items around your home that you can use to organize your jewelry: egg carton, cupcake or muffin bakeware, a bulletin board & push pins (get gold push pins, or something funky), foam board (you can use wrapping paper to cover a plain foam board), 3M hooks, and even a small box or tray.
Jewelry Organizers
Maintenance
Polishing cloths, jewelry wipes, jewelry cleaners, and other jewelry tools will prolong the life of your jewelry. An article from Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean Your Jewelry Like a Pro" gives you great tips on cleaning different types of jewelry and baubles.
Contact me here to help you with your jewelry organization project.
Organized by Catherine O organizes all areas of your home, maximizes your space, and problem-solves time management and productivity challenges. We are based in New York City and serve the NYC-Metro area.
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