Every piece of jewelry is precious. Not just in monetary value, but also in emotional value. To ensure you take the very best care of your collection, it is important to consider their safety, security, and storage. 


Why do you need to take care when storing?

Even the hardest gemstones can be vulnerable to breakage. Gold is easily scratched. Silver will tarnish if left exposed to chemicals in the air. That’s why carefully storing your jewelry is so important. You want to care for these precious items, as they hold special meaning in your life. (link to the previous article on Meaning of Jewelry).

First, consider how often you will wear the pieces

Do you wear a particular item each day or week? If so, you may want to keep it in a separate section. Or even a separate container. For items that you only wear on special occasions, you can have a more long-term storage solution.

Should you use a jewelry box for storage?

You can request a pouch at the time of purchase if you’d prefer to keep this item separate from your other pieces. These pouches are the best thing to store in as they have been designed with that particular purpose in mind.

If you want to keep it all in one place, a jewelry box can be a great idea. However, if all of your pieces are piled on top of each other inside, they are at risks of being damaged.

Ideally, you should choose a style that has many small compartments to separate items, along with hooks for chains and necklaces. This makes it much easier to keep it all organized, and you will be able to find the piece that you are looking for right away.

 It is also important that the inside of the box is fabric lined. It is also possible to use an ordinary box, as long as you wrap each piece individually in soft tissue paper. 



Wrapping helps keep it safe and clean

Another tip is to wrap pieces individually to keep them pristine. Remember that diamonds, rubies, and sapphires can easily scratch other gems, especially softer gems like pearls, opals, and tanzanites. A special pouch or case that is designed with a soft fabric can help to keep the piece looking new for longer.

Over time, any sterling silver pieces exposed to elements in the air will tarnish, so to prevent this you can store it in plastic bags with interlocking seals, such as a ziplock bag. However, if the silver jewelry is going to be stored for a longer period, you may want completely wrap it in a couple of layers of acid-free tissue. This will ensure the plastic bag does not cause yellowing as it ages.

Is there an ideal way to store gold or silver jewelry?

Gold is a relatively soft and workable metal and can be damaged by scratches from hard gemstones. To avoid this, you should keep your gold pieces stored by themselves in storage bags or the original box that you bought them in.

If you have a silver piece, it should always be kept absolutely dry and away from exposure to the elements in the air. If you can, store them inside a tarnish-proof cloth. You can even buy special silver storage boxes that are lined with this type of tarnish-proof fabric so that they will keep them safe. Also, keep in mind to not let your silver jewelry touch rubber items (such as rubber bands) as the sulfur within the rubber will cause the silver to tarnish.


Be careful with Diamond Jewelry

A diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance on earth and when it is improperly stored it can scratch your other gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. It will also cause damage to gold and softer gems like pearls, opals, and tanzanites. Diamonds can also scratch silver, gold, and platinum. In order to prevent this, you should keep it in a soft cloth pouch.

Consider the Security of Your Jewelry Collection


If you have pieces of jewelry that are particularly valuable, you might want to be conscious of their safety. Your house should have an alarm system, especially if you also have other high-value possessions. Make sure that you test your alarm system frequently and always set the alarm before you leave the house.

According to insurance companies, jewelry is the most commonly stolen item from homes during burglaries. For this reason, it can be a good idea to store your higher value pieces in a safety deposit box at your local bank.

If you have a larger collection, it is a good idea to take a regular inventory of your collection. You can take photographs of each piece of jewelry, create a written description of the piece and note the cost. Note: you should always store this information in a separate location, so that it is not stolen.

Ideally, you can keep this information in electronic form or online. Your most important protection is to obtain proper valuables insurance from your Insurance broker. 

If you have any other questions about jewelry care, Don Roberto Jewelers are here to help you.

For over 45 years, Don Roberto Jewelers have shared our passion and helped our customers to select and wear pieces perfectly tailored to their needs. Visit us today at one of our famous jewelry and earring stores.