Sorting your jewellery box

Wherever you keep your jewellery, it's good to have a sort out occasionally - well mind does anyway. Currently and for no real reason I keep my jewellery, new, cherished and sentimental, in three areas - a posh box  my husband bought me, a trinket bowl and a pretty floral box that came with stationary in many years ago.

To be honest I like a box, any pretty or colourful box, for storing things, with draws and compartments, however I tend to use most of the jewellery from the trinket bowl for easy access. It doesn't matter whether you display your jewellery (more on fab storage in another post) or keep it tidily in a draw every now and then a good look through reminds you of forgotten treasures.
Also a sort out can help make space for a couple of new pieces or a long awaited up date to your jewellery wardrobe.


As I sort through my haul I notice I have several items that need a gentle polish, a knotted chain that needs undoing and a few broken pieces too.

First I sort all the contents into three groups ( you may need a soft cloth on a table for this)...
- clean and keep
- mend
- recycle/re gift
The first group is easy, a little polish or gentle wipe with a soft cloth  to bring back the shine and back in the jewellery box it can go.

This is the 'special 'cloth I use to remove tarnish on gold, silver  or plated metal. (Soon to be available from our Kirkharle shop). My posh jewellery box has compartments for rings, earrings and necklaces/bracelets so that's simple to organize.
As I make jewellery some of the mending is simple for me, however I would still take a more valuable gold item to a goldsmith to be properly mended.

Finally those unwanted or out dated trinkets could gain a new lease of life if you take them to pieces and make something new ( I know easy for me to say). You could find a class for recycling jewellery or beads and have a fun day out with a friend, creating something new while learning a new skill.
Alternatively you could have your friends over one evening with their unwanted jewellery and have a swap party, a little wine and a catch up, what could be better.

You can also recycle your jewellery  at charity shops or through charity jewellery collections, where you send your items in a prepaid envelope (like an old mobile phone) to raise funds for a good cause. Remember old, even broken gold or silver jewellery can be sold for cash - for you -  to spend on...more jewellery!