Jewelry can be used to express personality, mood, and sentiment. If you’re a jewelry lover then you want to take care of the pieces you’ve collected through the years. It’s not only frustrating, but upsetting, to lose a favorite or sentimental piece because you don’t have a good system to keep up with it. These jewelry storage ideas will help keep your treasures organized, safe, and in good condition so that you can enjoy them for years to come.
See if you can relate to this scenario. You’re rushed getting dressed for work. The kids are screaming for your attention (or at each other). You need to look especially nice today and it never fails…..you can’t find that particular piece of jewelry that sets off your outfit.
Or you can’t find the mate to your earrings.
Or the necklace you wanted to wear is tangled in a big knot and you just don’t have time to undo it.
Arrrg! There has to be a better way to get out the door with your sanity – and your accessories – intact.
Now I’m going to admit right up front that I love, love, LOVE jewelry. I come by it naturally because my mom was a jewelry hound extraordinaire and passed that love of sparkly things on to me. As a result, I have a nice collection of baubles and bling (thanks, Mom!).
But one thing that used to drive me nuts was trying to keep my collection organized. I started off with a small jewelry box as most of us do, but it wasn’t long before that box was much too small.
Since giving up my jewelry addiction was not an option, I had to find ways to keep everything together and somewhat organized. Through the years I’ve tried just about every system there is. These are some of my favorite products that I think do the best job of keeping your jewelry organized so that you can find what you want when you want it. That certainly makes mornings (or any time you’re getting dressed) easier.
My favorite jewelry storage option
My absolute all-time favorite jewelry storage system is my mirrored jewelry armoire. The one I own can either go on the back side of a door or be hung on a wall. The one my mother had was freestanding like the one below.
Both of the ones shown have a mirror on the door. That makes the piece useful as well for checking the overall look of your outfit. It also means you don’t need to have a full-length mirror somewhere else in your bedroom or bathroom.
I love pieces that serve dual purposes.
(This is a picture of the one hanging in my closet. You can see that it holds quite a bit.)
Another thing I like about my armoire is that it locks.
A locking cabinet is great for several reasons. First off, it makes it less likely that small kids will decide to come play dress up with your nice pieces. The lock keeps kids out and jewelry in.
It’s also nice to have a locking cabinet for times when you have strangers – or semi-strangers – in your home.
For example, when we were showing our previous home for sale I felt confident that none of my pieces would “disappear”. Granted, someone could pry the cabinet off the wall and haul it out the door (although we’d have certainly noticed that), but for most situations the lock is adequate. It’s a nice little bit of extra security and peace of mind.
Other jewelry storage options
There are times, though, when you might not have the space for a bigger jewelry armoire.
This hanging jewelry organizer will go over the back of a door and then roll up for storage or travel. It could also be hung permanently on a wall by removing the door hangers. At 22 in x 50 in it seems a bit large, in my opinion, for travel, but it definitely looks like an option for those who don’t have the space for a bigger piece of furniture (I’m thinking dorm rooms, apartments, and smaller homes).
For years before I treated myself to the bigger jewelry armoire, I used a variety of jewelry boxes and organizers to help me keep things where I could find them.
This is another jewelry box I’ve used for the past few years (except that mine is oak) and I really like it. It’s small enough to sit on top of a dresser or a shelf yet large enough to hold your best pieces. One thing I really like about mine is that the lid has hooks to hold your daintier necklaces while there is an elasticized pouch at the bottom to tuck the pendant into safely. This helps keep those more fragile chains from getting twisted and tangled (which just makes me nuts!). It’s also lined inside which keeps precious metals, stones, or pearls from getting scratched.
Jewelry storage ideas for travel
Since I am a jewelry lover, I never leave home on a trip without planning my outfits and then deciding what jewelry I want to take with me. I’ve used a couple of different types of travel jewelry organizers, but this one that rolls up is my favorite. I like that it’s small, that it has compartments to keep your jewelry separated (which prevents tangling and scratching), and that it’s easy to tuck in a variety of bags. The one I have is red eel but is set up exactly the same as this one.
I’ve also used hard sided jewelry cases when I travel but they’re not my personal preference. However, the nice thing about the hard sided ones is that they can also be used at home if your jewelry collection is small or if you just like to have a selection of your jewelry closer within reach. A hard sided case could also be easily tucked away in a safe or tamper proof box.
Turning drawer space into jewelry storage
Sometimes you just don’t have space on top of a dresser or other horizontal space. In those instances, you need something you can either tuck away or that makes use of the vertical space in your home.
If you’ve got drawer space, then these jewelry trays stack on top of each other to keep your jewelry organized but out of sight.
As you can see, there are lots of options for your jewelry storage. If you’re a serious jewelry lover and collector, I’d urge you to get the largest system you can invest in because your collection is likely to do nothing except grow. However, the most important aspect of any jewelry storage system is that you like it, will commit to using it, and is works with your sense of style. An investment in your jewelry storage is an investment in keeping your jewelry beautiful and in great shape for years to come.
More storage and organization ideas:
I’m a retired educator, mom of three adult children, cancer warrior, sandwich generation member, and lover of life!
I help older women create & live a life they love through radical self acceptance, unapologetic goal pursuit, and relishing the joys of home.
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I definitely need to get one of these. Thanks for the idea!
I hope you found something that helps.
I love these ideas. I have a regular jewelry box, but it allows me to keep my necklaces separated so that don’t get all tangled up. I love that little black case though.
I used to have an awful time with jewelry when I’d travel before I found the case I use now. It rolls up into a neat little package and my jewelry is secure.
I love jewelry too and am trying to decide how I want to organize it. I am redoing my bathroom and am on the lookout for the perfect way to store it all. I love your ideas.
🙂 gwingal
I hope you find a system that works perfectly for you. Good luck on the bathroom redo!