You know what an ordeal spring cleaning can be, but when it comes to spring cleaning your jewellery collection it can actually be quite fun, especially when you dive in with the mind set of “out with the old and in with the new”.
I won’t judge if you’re a jewellery hoarder. It’s only natural to be drawn to beauty.
But it’s not much point when majority of the treasures you own sit at the bottom of your jewellery box, with a scant few making a regular appearance.
Guilty? Then it’s time to spring clean your jewellery collection.
First Steps
Empty your jewellery boxes and see what mines you’ve been storing for ages. Before you begin sorting through your collection, do the following:
- Spread all the items across a clean surface.
- Detangle necklaces, bracelets and earrings from each other.
- Separate each piece of jewellery and place it with its resident items.
Now you can begin sorting through your collection. Designate two piles – name one as ‘toss’, which will hold the items you’ll discard, and the other as ‘keep’, which will hold the ones you decide to retain.
Forgotten Pieces
While going through your collection, you’ll likely come across pieces that you don’t remember buying in the first place. Assess them with an eagle eye. If they’re metallic, check if they’ve rusted or discoloured.
Do you really need them? There must be a reason why you forgot about them in the first place. Perhaps you had borrowed a piece of jewellery from a friend and forgot to return it, or they fell out of fashion and are a crude reminder of decades gone by. If it’s taking up unnecessary space, discard, return or give it away.
Sentimental Items
Make a separate section for the pieces you wish to hold on to forever. These might be vintage pendants or old rings belonging to your grandma that signify love and embody her existence and memoirs. If any of your sentimental items need to be spruced up for polishing, retouching or gemstone replacements, take them to a jeweller. There might be some sentimental items that you plan to pass on to your children or share with your family, so sort them out separately and store them safely as family heirlooms or keepsakes.
Be Ruthless While Discarding
Discard jewellery that is completely worn out and can’t be fixed, or is completely out of fashion. There might also be pieces that you’ve outgrown, or don’t wish to wear any longer. Give them to someone who might appreciate them or if they are too old, dispose of them.
Be honest with yourself – if you haven’t worn it in years, you’re unlikely to ever wear it!
Out of Fashion Items
While sorting through pieces of jewellery that are no longer in fashion, visualise if you can revamp them in any way. Try morphing a long necklace into a choker by folding it many times. Be creative with these old treasures and adapt with the times. Also, you never know when fashion might take a turn and you get to wear them again in their original form. Need some inspiration? Check out our post on jewellery layering here.
Refresh you Jewellery Collection with some Trendy and Stylish Pieces
While scavenging through your items, see what your collection is missing. If it’s time to update, then you’re in luck, because we’re running a special Spring Sale. Sign up to our mailing list to get all the exclusive details!
Sifting through your jewellery box is a tricky chore since it’s difficult to part with pieces of jewellery that you’ve had in your possession a long while. Make it easier by adopting a fresh attitude. Instead of harbouring jewellery you’re unlikely to wear again, declutter your collection to make way for new pieces – your inner stylist will thank you for it!
Need some tips on how to care for your jewellery that you decide to keep? Click here and you can also access our jewellery care guide here.