I recently shared how I pack jewelry for a trip on Instagram Stories and was surprised by the amount of messages I got! A lot of people relayed that they’d always struggled with how to best pack up necklaces and things to bring along on trips and that it was great to see someone else’s method for it. In case you’re in that same position, I thought I would share how I do it! You can watch a video of the process on Instagram here.
I don’t usually travel with a ton of jewelry, but I do like to bring along some options! I’ve been using this jewelry case for a couple years and love it. It’s a great size, is functional, and has held up really well. (I’ve included a few similar options below!) I like that it has an area to hang longer earrings, as well as the cinch-pouch to keep everything secure.
JEWELRY: Magnolia Earrings, Star Ear Jackets, Eye Studs, Thread Hoop Earrings, Mira Tassel Earrings, Amalfi Tassel Earrings, Kyra Choker, Uppercase Letter Necklace, Sunset Necklace, North Star Layered Necklace, Beaded Bracelets, Stacking Rings
This is a good example of about how much jewelry I would pack for a few days away. I use the built-in earring belt to hold my longer earrings, which are inevitably my tassel earrings! Not only does this keep the posts from getting bent, but also allows for the tassels to stay straight during transit. For everything else, I swear by these little plastic bags. (Note from July 2022: Years later, I’m still using the same bags for travel since they are easy to reuse and have held up well. However, if you want to be more environmentally friendly, many items come in small bags like these when you purchase them so remembering to save them is a great way to get another use out of them. Since writing this post there are also even more great travel jewelry organizers that can store jewelry without the use of bags like this one from Amazon.)
I don’t want anything to be floating around loosely in the pouch, since it is much easier to lose things that way. So, I put all the rest of my pieces in their own little bag. Stud earrings, rings, and necklaces all get their own safe and secure place to travel in. While the main purpose of this is to ensure nothing gets lost in transit, it also requires that I make sure I’ve packed up all my jewelry at my destination when I’m ready to head home. When each item has its own bag, if there’s an empty bag leftover, I know to look for the missing piece(s) before leaving the hotel or wherever I’m staying!
My biggest tip for keeping necklaces from getting tangled is to leave a little bit of the chain or the extender out of the bag. If you “zip” the bag closed all the way, except for that little bit sticking out, the necklace will stay securely inside the bag without getting all jumbled and knotted. When you’re ready to wear it on vacation, simple hold the end of the necklace you left out of the bag, unzip the bag and carefully remove the necklace. It should come out perfectly straight and untangled!
That’s it! I just package everything up individually and secure it in the jewelry case. It’s simple once you have the right “tools” to work with – the little bags and some sort of case. If you don’t want to buy a case for jewelry, you could also put everything into a larger ziploc bag or zipper pouch that you own and nestle it in between clothes in your suitcase. The most important thing is making sure nothing will get crushed or damaged inside your suitcase!
I don’t travel a lot, but one trick I found a long time ago for keeping necklaces from getting tangled is to cut a length of plastic straw (or use the entire straw for long necklaces), thread one end of the necklace through, and then clasp shut. You could probably do this with delicate bracelets, too, just with a much shorter length of straw. These can then all be placed in a bag for travel.
I’ve heard of that method before, but find this little bag option to be so much easier and less work!
So I am trying to figure out how to organize my jewelry at home. I have cobbled together various methods of organizing things over the last 10 years but my jewelry is getting tarnished and isn’t organized well. I have lots of stud earrings, some dangle earrings, some bracelets, some rings and a good amount of necklaces. Thoughts? Any suggestions are welcome!
I store most of my necklaces in the little bags that you see in this post, even inside my jewelry box! Keeps everything organized and not get tarnished.
Great tips! Especially the tip about using the little baggies to store each jewelry item. Thanks!