It's safe to say we've probably re-arranged our wardrobes a hundred times since the beginning of lockdown, Marie Kondo-ing everything from underwear to shoes.
But one area that's not always as easy to sort is jewellery, more specifically how to store necklaces, rings etc without them getting tangled up or tarnished. So here's a bit of expert advice from jewellery designers, who share their tips as well as their favourite pieces.
How to store jewellery: display it
Designer Annika Inez keeps her bangles on display when she doesn't wear them (main picture). She says, 'My favourite pieces are two sterling silver bangles that my Dad gave my Mum. They were designed and made by Elon Arenhill, a beloved Modernist Swedish metalsmith (and jazz musician) whose studio is based not far from where I grew up. He gave her four of them, all different widths. Some years later, she gave one each to me and my two sisters and kept one for herself. She has since gifted me hers and I like to wear one of each arm. They are a bit scuffed now from years of wear and I could polish them up, but I love them the way they are.'
How to store jewellery: in a cabinet
London-based designers and sisters Miné Arsay & Ezgi Turksoy, from Apples & Figs, have special display cabinets.
Ezgi says, ’My jewellery cabinet resembles a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’; full of jewels from all around the world, childhood memories and Turkish gold coins alongside flamboyant cigar boxes and delicate Japanese fabrics, each telling a story.'
Miné adds, 'I keep my jewellery in my Father’s vintage cigar boxes and cabinets. I also place playful items and objects; bringing a breath of fresh air to the box. My most treasured piece is my Grandmother’s blue bird brooch made of 18k gold, I believe it carries her spirit and brings me good luck.’
How to store jewellery: a jewellery box
Munich-based Saskia Diez says, ‘I have a couple of corners that are stuffed with jewellery. Some necklaces handing on lamps and knobs and some pieces stored in jewellery boxes. The circular wooden box is a box that was a collaboration with e15. We are working on a new collaboration to create a jewellery pouch with the brand Tsatsas.’
How to store jewellery: organised drawers
NYC jeweller Ariana Boussard-Reifel stores her pieces using drawer inserts. She says, ‘Aside from a few sentimental pieces, my collections means more to me as a whole. As a designer, my influence and inspiration comes from studying the jewellery of traditional cultures. I am always on the hunt for Tibetan turquoise, Native American coral, Indian sterling bangles. Wearing these ancient pieces makes me feel connected to human history in a new way.’
How to store jewellery: a jewellery tray
Designer Rocio Canals, behind the brand WILHELMINA GARCIA, keeps jeweller on a mirrored tray: ‘ll of the pieces have a certain magical meaning to me but the antique ones which were given to me by my Grandmother are the most special, every time I wear them I feel she is with me. She loved jewellery and travelled to exotic places to find them’.