Five Simple Steps For Finally Getting Your Jewelry Organized!

Written By Allie Perry May 31, 2025

Are you a systems person?

I definitely am.

Maybe it’s because I have the memory of a goldfish or the attention span of a squirrel, or maybe it’s because my love of containers and spreadsheets has informed the style of organization I’ve chosen to rely on for my business so I don’t have to lean quite so heavily on the grey matter rattling around in between my ears.

Either way, I need systems in place. Consistent, reliable systems where I’ve already sat down and done all of the thinking and deciding, and the only task left is the implementing. It’s the work equivalent of hanging my car keys on their dedicated hook every single time, so I can mindlessly scoop them up on my way out the door. No need to decode where my past self may have decided was a good place for the keys the last time I used them, and no frantic searching of the entire house when I’m probably already ten minutes late. (Fine, fifteen.)

Large corporations call them SOPs, or Standard Operating Procedures. They’re step-by-step instructions established to make sure work gets done efficiently and correctly. And they usually mean that even if you assign the same task to fifteen different people, you’ll get one consistent result fifteen times.

The only difference between Corporate SOPs and my systems is that they’re trying to get fifteen different people to do one job consistently, and on any given day, I’m one person trying to do fifteen jobs simultaneously or in rapid succession. I’m the designer and the fabricator. I order raw supplies and maintain finished inventory levels. I do the quality control, the packing, and the shipping. I control the budget. I do the product photography and marketing, and I run the website. I’m the janitor and sole customer service agent. And I have to do those two extra surprise jobs that popped up at the last minute.

Very infrequently would those fifteen people have the same concerns over any single widget. The designer wants it to look cool, the fabricator wants it to be strong. The person managing materials wants the production to be efficient, and the inventory specialist needs to make sure the right total ends up in stock. The widget also needs to be well-made for customer satisfaction, the right size for the packaging, and not too heavy to ship or expensive to produce. It has to look great, attract customers, and be easy for a customer to purchase. It shouldn’t destroy the shop when it’s being made, and it should be easily understood by anyone looking at it.

Easy, right‽ 

Well, your jewelry box is the same way! It’s meant to keep your jewelry all in one place, but separate from one another for safety. It has to be hard enough to prevent crush damage,  but soft enough not to scratch. It needs to be in a compact area that doesn’t take up too much space, while simultaneously being open and organized enough so you can easily find your favorite pair of earrings exactly when you want them. It’s there to serve you and your organizational needs while also meeting the safe storage needs of the jewelry you’ve invested your time and money into.

So now it’s time for YOU to be a systems person! Even if you’re the type of person who’s always missing one shoe or frequently finding the TV remote in the fridge, I can help you set up a logical, easy-to-follow system to organize your jewelry in a way that keeps it safe, organized, and readily accessible.

Where do we start?

Step one: Organize your jewelry into categories. 

You can be as specific as you like, and have as many categories for jewelry as Monica Geller has for towels, or you can narrow it down to the basics: rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. When you’re ready, you can separate them further- earrings may divide into studs and dangles, or you may choose to organize pieces into categories like daily wear, formal wear, work jewelry, or costume jewelry. Whatever works for you is great, and you don’t have to go crazy- it’s totally ok to just stick to the four main groups I just listed.

Step two: Organize the pieces in each category based on how frequently you wear them.

You may have a favorite necklace or an heirloom ring that you enjoy seeing all the time (even if you can’t wear it all the time), and it’s ok to put that front and center. But generally speaking, it doesn’t make sense to put your fanciest, once-a-year pieces in the front so you have to dig past them all the time.

Step three: Make sure you have a dedicated space for each piece.

If you have a small jewelry collection, you can keep everything in one jewelry box, especially if it has specialized compartments for each category. If you have a larger collection, you may need multiple large jewelry boxes- like one for pieces you wear every day and another for your more formal, special occasion pieces.

If you have dozens of rings and only a few necklaces, you’ll be better served getting modular jewelry boxes that focus on specific categories. 

Every collection is different and will require its own specific solution, so have a little fun in finding the one that’s right for you.

Step four: Make sure you have the correct space for each piece.

Rings do best in soft slots that allow them to stand upright. You’ll be able to see them all at a glance, and they’ll be protected from impact against each other.

Chains and necklaces should be hung from hooks. I’ve had customers use small hooks in their medicine cabinets for the necklaces they wear daily, or large hooks inside their closet door for larger necklaces. Hanging your chains means they’ll avoid getting tangled or knotted when they’re in storage.

Pearls are the exception to the hanging rule- always store your pearl strands in a soft pouch, lying flat. Hanging a string of pearls will damage the silk over time.

Earrings should be stored in pairs, with their backs, in a way that keeps them from hitting anything else while not being worn. For small studs, you can put the first back on the first earring, put the post of the second earring through the loop on the first earring back, then put the second back on the second earring. It will keep the pair together and immediately accessible the next time you want to wear them. You could also store them poked through a strip of heavyweight paper (like an index card), then file the strips of paper vertically in your jewelry box.

For any type of drop earring, you should do your best to hang them. If your jewelry box doesn’t have slots or holes for earrings, a picture frame works perfectly for this- just take out the glass and backing, and replace them with a piece of soft screen. You’ll be able to hang studs or dangles through the holes in the screen.

Bracelets can be stored on a rod or lying flat. If you store your bangles on a rod, you’ll have to take off all of the bangles on the end to get to the one you want in the middle, so plan accordingly.  

Step five: Carefully put your organized jewelry pieces into their dedicated slots.

This part is totally up to you. Wear bracelets the most? Put them in front. Love drop earrings more than studs? Put the studs in back and highlight those dangles in front. Only wear that cute anklet like twice a year? Stick it way in the back with that blinking light necklace you only wear to holiday parties.

Your jewelry storage doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to work for you. You can use inexpensive plastic divided trays from the craft or hardware store, or sleek compartmentalized acrylic drawers from your favorite home goods store. You can use anything from fancy jewelry boxes to inexpensive hooks to a tackle box that holds each piece of jewelry in its original packaging. Whatever you do, just make sure every piece is stored safely and in a manner that makes it easy to find.

The goal here is to make your life easy. 

Once you set these storage systems up, all you have to do going forward is grab the piece you want in the morning, and put it back where it came from at night. No last-minute searching for that second earring. No more surprise knots in your chains. No deciding where something should go or deciphering what the best storage method is.

No thinking at all…just habit.

And if you feel like any of your neatly organized categories need some new additions, I’m happy to help you find your next favorite piece of jewelry at Allie Perry Designs!