Caring for your jewelry is so important. I used to just throw my jewelry pieces in a drawer and then ended up just rifling through it when I was looking for something… but that was before I actually owned jewelry that was worth maintaining. Since then, I have inherited a few heirloom pieces from my grandmother and now I have my wedding rings to take care of! Of course, I still enjoy buying the occasional fun, inexpensive statement pieces for vacations or various other events, but those high value pieces deserve special care which will help them last beyond my lifetime (hopefully I can hand them down to my kiddos someday)!
STORAGE:
I personally don’t like taking my engagement and wedding rings off (my hand feels so naked without them!), but I know that it’s best for their care. Taking your rings off can help you avoid potentially knocking any stones loose or dulling / damaging them when using certain products. I always try to remember to take my rings off before bed, when I am using chemical cleaners, showering, applying hand creams, and even when I am washing my hands, but I’m not perfect about it. I didn’t even realize that was something that I needed to do until I read this article, which I found to be pretty enlightening! Below are some of my favorite storage options.
These beautiful velvet boxes are ideal for displaying rings in wedding day flat lay photos which help to memorialize the details of your special day. Post-wedding, I also like to take my box with me when we travel so that I have somewhere to keep my rings while I am sleeping since the box is so portable!
RING DISH
I have a ring dish next to my bed as well as next to the kitchen sink for when I am doing dishes. Both the ring box (which can be personalized!) and the ring dish make excellent gifts for newly engaged friends!
NECKLACE HOLDER & BRACELET STAND
Since I don’t have a ton of jewelry I don’t have any other display options, but I love the idea of these jewelry hanging solutions because they’re so pretty, they don’t take up much space and they would make it so easy to find the pieces that you want to wear!
JEWELRY DISPLAY CONTAINERS
I have the double stacked glass jewelry container (in the center) and it’s perfect for my small jewelry collection, but I love the other brass & glass display boxes. I have seen that West Elm and Pottery Barn have some beautiful storage options as well!
DRAWER ORGANIZERS
thirteen // fourteen // fifteen
These organizers can be tucked away in a drawer or displayed on top of your dresser, depending on your space and preference. I love all of the special little nooks in the trays for each jewelry type and a couple of the tray brands are customizable regarding how the little sections are portioned off so you can adjust them for your needs.
JEWELRY TRAVEL CASES
sixteen // seventeen // eighteen
I don’t personally travel with much jewelry (as I am a minimal jewelry person by nature), but if you’re someone who loves to accessorize, these options are fantastic for toting your baubles with you on your adventures (FYI: you can get $10 off of Option Eighteen with this link!). I also really like this slim tri-fold option!
CLEANING:
In addition to proper storage, routine cleaning is also key in maintaining your special jewelry! Being the domestic goddess that she is, Martha Stewart has some amazing tips for jewelry maintenance here as well as suggestions for creating a routine or schedule in regards to cleaning. The following tools and products are my favorite options for keeping my jewelry gleaming and sparkly!
These machines use ultrasonic pulses within a liquid provide an incredibly thorough clean!! If I had more jewelry (and storage space!) I would totally get one, but I own / wear so few pieces that it just isn’t a necessity for me. It’s also multi-functional because you can use the ultrasonic for cleaning your eyeglasses and sunnies! Be sure to use a gentle microfiber cloth to dry your pieces off.
MANUAL CLEANING KITS
Connoisseurs Jewelry Cleaner // JULI Cleaner
I currently use the Connoisseurs Cleaner (which I have been happy with), but once that’s gone I’m going to order the JULI kit because that looks amazing for taking extra special care of jewelry. I am also intrigued by these jewelry cleaning cloths, but I just can’t believe that they could possibly be as effective at cleaning in the little crevices of jewelry as the brushes are in the aforementioned cleaning kits. However, I bet they’d work in a pinch!
TRAVEL JEWELRY CLEANERS
Gem Pen // Bling Brush // Diamond Dazzle Stik
I love my Bling Brush, but there are multiple products to choose from! You never know when you’re going to get into a weird (and possibly gross?) situation where you’ll want to clean your rings, earrings, etc. so the cleaning brush pens come in super handy! They’re about the same size as a tube of mascara so they’re easy to pop into your purse or toiletry bag. These travel cleaners also make excellent engagement gifts — just bundle it with a bottle of bubbly and a bridal magazine!
MISCELLANEOUS
If you happen to lose the back to an earring, you can always go to your local jeweler to buy replacement backs which are super inexpensive (sometimes they’ll even give them to you at no charge!). Personally, my earlobes are a bit stretched out so I need a little extra support when I wear my earrings. I love to use Levears earring backs because they’re sturdy and I like that they look more like a traditional earring back, but I know that a lot of people prefer to use Lobe Wonder disposable earlobe support stickers.
Another random jewelry tip is to use a necklace spacer clasp if you enjoy wearing multiple necklaces at a time, but hate when they get tangled up! If they do end up getting tangled, whether while being worn or while in your drawer (get an organizer, babe!), this hack for untangling necklaces has been a lifesaver for me in the past.
Jewelry care doesn’t have to be daunting! The pretty storage / organization and easy routine cleaning sparks so much joy and gives me peace of mind. I usually let my [most worn] earrings and rings soak in the jewelry cleaner (~once every two weeks?) while I shower and then finish the scrubbing, rinsing, and drying portions after my shower is over. It’s an easy way for me to remember to clean my pieces regularly and it’s so rewarding to see how sparkly everything is when I’m done!
I hope these tips and tools are helpful for you!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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