It’s so easy to lose control of the organization of your earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings. And then, when you really want to wear that special piece, it can’t be found! And I can’t be the only woman who still has inexpensive jewelry from childhood and teen years that I will NEVER wear again, but oh, the memories!

I’ve written 5 articles so far to help you with decluttering and now it’s time to wrap up this series by looking at how to declutter jewelry. As we’ve walked through the process so far, I’ve been uncovering things that you CAN and NEED to let go of but just can’t seem to. 

But please don’t miss this. The purpose has always been both decluttering and, just as importantly, gathering memories and stories.

So let’s look at what you might have collected through the years and decide what to do with it all.

As always, here’s my personal pre-decluttering confessional to get us started.

In various spots in my bedroom and closet, you can find:

• My brownie pin from when I was a member of a Girl Scout Brownie Troop in the early 1960s.
• Lots of solo earrings that haven’t seen their partners in decades. But still, what if they turn up?
• A tangle of necklaces that will need at least an hour of careful untangling before I can even tell what’s what.
• Precious jewelry that I inherited from my mom, including her diamond solitary engagement ring given to her by my dad on her birthday in February 1950.
• A bunch of costume jewelry from the 1980s and 90s that I will no longer wear but might make someone happy who enjoys finding vintage pieces from those decades.

How about you? Is your jewelry collection a bit of pieces you enjoy wearing mixed with some “vintage” mixed with inherited things?

Here’s the real question that covers all of it if you need to declutter.

How can you declutter your jewelry bits and bobs without accidentally losing the memories and reasons why you kept those pieces for so long in the first place?

Here’s how!

GETTING STARTED – DIVIDE AND CONQUER

If you have read my first five articles on decluttering – books/bookshelves + paper memorabilia + kitchen stuff + household linens + clothing and accessories  – then you already know you’ll need to consider dividing the things you find when decluttering your jewelry bits and bobs into 4 easy-to-define starting categories. 

I suggest that you’ll want to consider dividing your jewelry into these 4 categories:

1. Those things you wear regularly and that make you feel good when you do. These need to be better organized to make it easier to wear them more often.
2. Those things you aren’t really wearing often, but you treasure because of their history and want to hang on to, possibly for future generations.
3. Those things that you no longer wear regularly or really don’t like, but someone else would enjoy and that can be given away or sold.
4. Those things that you no longer wear regularly and are quite dated in their style and/or are in such bad shape that they would not be of any value to someone else.

I’ve created a simple flow chart app that you can use over and over again to help you go through the Divide and Conquer process of making decisions about what to do with your household stuff when decluttering. It’s free to use! Go here to get access today by filling out this form.

And now, as I like to say whenever talking about starting the process of decluttering – It’s time to make a mess!

But first, some guidelines. Depending on whether you are going to work through this process quickly (over a few days) or need to spread it out longer – choose a good place to sort as you pull stuff from your closet.

You’ll also need a place to store the objects that you will be letting go of until you’ve preserved some of their memories. More on that later on!

Depending on how much stuff you have, find some boxes, baskets or bags and start the sorting process. I’ve elaborated on each of the 4 categories, so keep reading. 

CATEGORY ONE – THE STUFF YOU WEAR

To get started, go through your house and pull together into one spot all of your jewelry bits and bobs. I’m talking necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings (even if their partner is missing) and the backs of earrings, too. 

Now that you’ve gotten all of your jewelry together, take a hard look at what you’re seeing, and ask yourself – “What in this collection am I really wearing on a regular basis?” And I would say, when it comes to jewelry, you might also ask “What do I wish I was wearing more often, now that I’ve found it?!”

When you’ve identified those pieces of jewelry and the bits and bobs associated with them – then put them somewhere safe for now.

This isn’t the time for reorganizing. That can come later after you’ve decluttered.

With the essentials of your jewelry collection secured, now it’s time to declutter and sort the non-essential stuff.

CATEGORY TWO – THE STUFF YOU TREASURE

The Stuff You Treasure category of jewelry bits and bobs will be those things that you: 

1. Maybe aren’t really wearing often, but you treasure because of their history and want to keep, and
2. Will be left in your home after you’ve died for your family to either keep or give away, but with them still knowing why they were precious to you.

But what if there is a piece of jewelry that you really treasure because of the memories associated with it, but you don’t really want to keep it stored away?

The answer is simple. Photograph it. Write down your memories. Let it go.

Move on to Category Three where you’ll learn how to preserve memories for yourself and your family. ⬇️ 

CATEGORY THREE – STUFF TO GIVE AWAY OR SELL AFTER YOU’VE CURATED MEMORIES

If you have read any of my first 5 articles on decluttering, then you already know what I’m going to mention here. I thank God every day for my iPhone with its amazing camera. How did we live without having a camera right in our pocket?

These amazing smartphone cameras along with DSLR cameras make capturing your jewelry for future reference quite easy.

Just remember that the lighting when you’re taking those photos is a key element.

So, here’s the plan for those pieces of jewelry you need to photograph. Take a lovely photo and write down your memories so that you and your family will have them secured. And then let that 

The reality is that even for pieces of my jewelry like my mom’s diamond solitaire, this is my recommendation. We aren’t guaranteed that objects in our homes will stay safe or that we will mentally hang onto the memories connected to them. So go ahead, take a digital photo and keep your written memories in a safe, digital place for lasting storage.

Here’s how.

Get a good photo. 

I’ve got an ebook coming out very soon that will give you more help with taking good photos of your objects, but for now you can get good results with your smartphone’s camera and a sunny spot. Here are some other ideas.

To get started, you are going to need to find a solid background that will give your jewelry bits and bobs the best chance to be photographed nicely. A piece of whiteboard from your craft or office supply store will work great for this unless your jewelry is very light in color. Then find a tabletop or some other solid background near a window for contrast.

Position your object on white board or tabletop lit by the sun. Then use your digital camera or smartphone camera to take a photo.

Write those memories. After you take some photos and before you forget about it, open up a Google or Word doc and write a few words about your photographed jewelry and bits and bobs and why you loved them. That photo and your written memories can be added to your Family Story Collection for your enjoyment and for your family when you are no longer around.

If you also want to display the photo of this memorabilia, take extra care with the lighting for your photo so that you can get the best possible result. Putting this photo in a frame will give you the chance to relive the memories connected to this memorabilia every time you walk past it on your wall or desk.

I created this photo of my parents’ rings in my studio with my DSLR camera and studio lighting, but you can also style some creative settings for your own or inherited jewelry to display for everyone to see.

Next Steps

If you no longer want to keep this piece of your own and your family’s history in your home, now it’s time to share your object with someone else.

Give to a family member – Once you’ve captured and curated the memories and you’re ready to let go, make sure and check with immediate and extended family members who also might have connections to the object.

For example, I would never get rid of something that belonged to my mom or dad without checking first with the rest of my family who loved them, too.

Sell

• Ebay – If you have jewelry that is in good condition or is vintage, you might be able to find a buyer on eBay. If you’re curious, please take the time to do a quick internet search for value. One tip is to go to eBay and search for an item using the “Sold Items” filter. This will give you a good idea of current market value. 
• Facebook Marketplace – This is always a great place to give away or sell things that you no longer need.

Donating to Thrift Stores – If you want to donate your jewelry in good condition to a thrift store, be sure and check out their list of accepted donations before you load up your car and make the trip to the donation center. Here’s a link to Goodwill but of course there are so many more thrift stores that you could check out. 

CATEGORY FOUR – STUFF TO THROW AWAY 

Even with your best efforts to give away and donate jewelry that you don’t want any longer, you’re still going to need to put some in the trash. Enjoy the satisfaction of a more organized home and being able to find the jewelry you want to wear!

Now it’s time to round up all of your jewelry bits and bobs and consider the sorting categories.

• What do you wear or use regularly that makes you feel good when you do? Keep those.
• What are you not really wearing or using very often, but you treasure because of their history and want to keep, possibly for future generations? Photograph, write some notes about it and then place carefully in storage.
• What are you no longer wearing regularly or really don’t like, but someone else would enjoy? Give away or sell.
• What jewelry do you no longer wear regularly and is quite dated in its style and/or are in such bad shape that they would not be of any value to someone else. Trash without guilt.

As always, my advice is to take your time and make this process as joyful if possible. Congrats on taking the steps now to downsize a bit and be more intentional about what you are keeping in your home.

Can I ask a favor? If you take a great photo of something special or end up framing some memorabilia that is connected to a milestone, I would love to see it and hear the backstory!

You can either DM me on my social feeds or, if you want, tag me so that everyone else could see it and be inspired.

Here are the accounts you can tag me in – 

Instagram @roseandbirdstudio  

Threads @roseandbirdstudio

Facebook @roseandbirdstudio