First of all, a jewelry armoire is a free-standing cabinet specifically designed to hold a large collection consisting of both fine and fashion jewelry. With individual compartments, ample drawers and generous necklace doors, they are designed to house entire collections, eliminating the need for multiple boxes, baggies and hiding places.
As you go through the items, ask yourself these questions: How often do I wear this? When was the last time I wore this? Is it still in style? Is it in good condition? Based on your answers you can then put the items in piles, bags or boxes with these labels: keep, donate, distribute, discard.
While you are sorting you can also arrange the jewelry items as follows:
By type: earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, necklaces, bangles and watches
By style: everyday favorites, fashion, costume, heirloom pieces
By material and/or color: gold, silver, beaded, wood, plastic, and color families
By sets: keep earring pairs together and jewelry sets together
The next step in the organizing process is to separate the jewelry. Remove any items that are broken, that need to be repaired or that you just don't want. Consider handing down costume jewelry to children for dress-up or to start their jewelry collection.
Group your fashion jewelry by color to make it easier to find the perfect accessory when you are short on time and forced to "grab and go."
As long as you are turning over a new leaf and getting your jewelry nicely organized, the next step is to clean your collection. Take the time to clean everything so that you will be sure your beautiful pieces are sparkling when you are ready to wear them.
If you're not sure how to clean certain types of jewelry, check out our past blog posts for detailed care and cleaning instructions for different jewelry settings and stones. Some jewelry can be harmed by water or by chemicals found in commercial jewelry cleaning solutions, so be sure to research how to clean your particular type of jewelry before you begin the cleaning process. When in doubt, use a dry, soft cloth.
When you have finished sorting, separating and cleaning your jewelry you are ready to store everything. Armoires are lined and particularly suitable for silver jewelry, however, to help keep silver jewelry tarnish free make sure the pieces are not touching each other.
Reserve the top section and top drawer of your jewelry armoire for your favorite pieces and collections. Then, fill up the remaining drawers and swing out sides with your newly organized jewelry collection. There is usually one deeper drawer in a jewelry armoire, and you can reserve this one for chunky pieces and bangles.
Utilize the small square compartments for earrings and brooches, store rings carefully in the padded ring rolls. Necklace sides on jewelry armoires are generous and allow easy and accessible necklace storage.
When you finish this process you will have a well-organized jewelry collection that is visually appealing and conveniently arranged, making it possible for you to easily find that perfect accessory, either by color, style or finish.
Looking for a perfect gift for someone that loves jewelry? Consider a jewelry armoire, they'll be thrilled!
by Karen Mollison. Karen is the Editor of ChasingTreasure.com, where you can buy high quality jewelry boxes, jewelry cases and jewelry armoires.
