Gone are the days when you find your rings in the cereal box and your necklaces were made of candy. Take care of your jewelry collection and it will last a lifetime.

Whether your jewelry collection is full of priceless (not very likely), or not so priceless pieces, you have put a lot of time, effort, and money into creating it, so treat it well.

Odds are that your jewelry collection is a mixture of special pieces that have been gifted to you by family and friends, special pieces you have purchased for yourself, and plenty of trendy costume jewelry thrown into the mix. No matter the case, your jewelry collection deserves to be stored and cared for properly. Please do not toss all your treasured baubles on your bureau top and not expect them to suffer the consequences.

Jewelry Collection Care and Storage

The most impactful way to make certain that your jewelry collection holds up is to store it well.

Storage Tips

• Make certain to store strung necklaces and bracelets (like pearls) flat and do not hang them. Hanging can weaken the strands as well as stretch them out.
• Do hang chain necklaces where possible to avoid tangling, which can lead to breakage.
• Silver and gold are best stored in a closed case to keep tarnishing and other grime at bay.

DIY Cleaning

DIY jewelry cleaning tips abound on the Internet, but according to the expert gemologists  at Jewelers Mutual, there’s a lot of bad advice out there about how best to clean jewelry at home. Their advice is to keep the process simple by using dish soap, warm water, and a brand new baby toothbrush to clean away buildup from your favorite pieces.

DIY Jewelry Cases

If you don’t already have a case in which to store your jewelry collection, you can scour yard sales and estate sales for a find–or make one yourself. Here are some DIY tutorials to drool over.

• DIY Standing Ikea Hack
• DIY Chest Into a Jewelry Case
• DIY Tiffany Inspired Jewelry Case

Travel Tips

Extra care is needed when traveling and this is one of life’s experiences from which jewelry can really suffer.

• Obviously, if you are flying, pack your jewelry in your carry-on luggage.
• If you must check luggage, plan on only take those pieces that you absolutely need. If the worst happens and the airport loses a bag, you don’t want to lose your entire collection at once!
• Use care when packing jewelry. The best solution is to use a roll organizer. You can purchase one or make one yourself.

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