Storing jewelry can be tricky and an art form in itself at times, especially when you have tons of pieces with precious stones and metals. Certain materials scratch, tarnish, or break easily, so proper storage is essential. Check out these top jewelry storage tips from expert jewelry makers and Jewelry Manufacturers in Los Angeles.
Protect Your Inventory
Protecting your inventory is essential, so it would behoove you to have a walk in closet or walk-in vault that has a locking door for security purposes. Doing so also allows you to have easy access to your inventory without locking cabinets and drawers every time you leave your storage area. If you cannot afford a vault, then invest in a steel framed door with a deadbolt, so it cannot be kicked in. With a steel framed door or vault, you can spend less on storage containers and cabinets because you won’t need to buy locking ones.
Cabinets and Dressers
There are many options for storage. You can invest in cabinets or boxes made specifically for jewelry, or you can get dressers and cabinets made for everyday clothes. The latter may be cheaper, and you can buy inserts and fabric to put in them.
Wrapping Your Jewelry
There are many chemicals and particulates that can cause damage to jewelry, so making sure your pieces are properly wrapped is crucial. While many business owners store their jewelry in plastic containers, because plastic is full of chemicals, you will not want to lay your silver and gold directly on it, as it will tarnish easier.
Furthermore, air has dust particles that contain quartz, so it would be better to wrap your jewelry and not hang it, as quartz can scratch most metals and gems. Buy a roll of felt and wrap your necklaces and other pieces in it to protect jewelry from tarnishing and scratches.
Some metals will tarnish other metals just because of their chemical makeup. Charm bracelets with cheap charms will often tarnish the bracelet they are connected to, and the same applies to bracelets and rings stacked too close to a different metal. If you can, organize your items by metal type instead of stone or pattern when on rolls.
Keeping Inventory
Protect Your Inventory
Protecting your inventory is essential, so it would behoove you to have a walk in closet or walk-in vault that has a locking door for security purposes. Doing so also allows you to have easy access to your inventory without locking cabinets and drawers every time you leave your storage area. If you cannot afford a vault, then invest in a steel framed door with a deadbolt, so it cannot be kicked in. With a steel framed door or vault, you can spend less on storage containers and cabinets because you won’t need to buy locking ones.
Cabinets and Dressers
There are many options for storage. You can invest in cabinets or boxes made specifically for jewelry, or you can get dressers and cabinets made for everyday clothes. The latter may be cheaper, and you can buy inserts and fabric to put in them.
Wrapping Your Jewelry
There are many chemicals and particulates that can cause damage to jewelry, so making sure your pieces are properly wrapped is crucial. While many business owners store their jewelry in plastic containers, because plastic is full of chemicals, you will not want to lay your silver and gold directly on it, as it will tarnish easier.
Furthermore, air has dust particles that contain quartz, so it would be better to wrap your jewelry and not hang it, as quartz can scratch most metals and gems. Buy a roll of felt and wrap your necklaces and other pieces in it to protect jewelry from tarnishing and scratches.
Some metals will tarnish other metals just because of their chemical makeup. Charm bracelets with cheap charms will often tarnish the bracelet they are connected to, and the same applies to bracelets and rings stacked too close to a different metal. If you can, organize your items by metal type instead of stone or pattern when on rolls.
Keeping Inventory
With everything wrapped up, it’s hard to see exactly what is what, so make inventory tags with item numbers or names to make it easier to identify what you have. For even easier storage, further sort your jewelry by labeling your dressers or cabinet drawers. You could sort by jewelry type or jewelry metal; put gold in one dresser, and each drawer will have a different type of gold color, or make one dresser about rings and store them by size.
Earrings
You could put earrings in small bags specific for jewelry and then store them in small cabinet drawers labeled by the type of earring (hoops, studs, etc.). You will want to mark them with inventory tags to help you find them faster.
Rings
For rings, buy a multi-slot velvet ring insert to put in a drawer. Buy one with removable velvet rolls, so you can label the bottom with the ring size. You will want to mark the organizer it sits in with the type of ring and size.
Bracelets
Bracelets can be wrapped and labeled like necklaces, or they can be put on velvet rolls like rings. Make sure they are put in a drawer, so that they are protected from dust. You also want to make sure they are not right on top of each other when on the rolls. They need to have a small gap to protect from scratches and tarnish.
Transportation
Whether you ship tons of orders or you’re always on the move for craft shows there are some basic rules to keep in mind. If you take your jewelry to craft shows, make sure to buy portable cases and necklace displays for samples. You also want to keep excess inventory wrapped or on rolls and in portable containers or jewelry specific travel luggage.
It is crucial to separate jewelry when you ship an order. Charms especially, need to be separated from the bracelet; the only exception is charm bracelet sets. Make sure items are lying flat while stored in your inventory and put them flat in a box when shipping them to a client to prevent scratching.
Keeping Your Business Moving
It can be really disappointing to take your jewelry out of inventory only to find that it’s scratched and tarnished. Prevent mishaps, extra cleaning, and re-plating when you use these jewelry storage tips on a daily basis.