How to Store Jewelry: Chains, Pendants, Rings and Watches

Most wear happens in the drawer

A surprising amount of the damage we see on jewelry did not happen on the body. It happened in a drawer, a bowl on the dresser or the bottom of a bag, where pieces rub against each other every time something moves. A few habits stop almost all of it.

The reason is hardness. Moissanite sits at 9.25 on the Mohs scale. Gold and silver are around 2.5 to 3, stainless steel around 5.5, and the mineral crystal on our watches about 5 to 6. Every stone on an iced piece is harder than the metal and glass around it, so an iced pendant tossed in with a gold ring or a watch will scratch them. The stones themselves are fine. Everything they touch is not.

Give every piece its own space

A box with fixed compartments does most of the work for you. If you are using a drawer, a cheap divided tray or a few small pouches does the same job.

When you choose a box, look for a soft fabric lining, compartments that are deep enough for your biggest pendant, and a lid that closes properly to keep out dust. A box where pieces can slide from one end to the other when you carry it is only a tidier version of the drawer.

Chains and pendants

Fasten the clasp before you put a chain away, then hang it from a hook or lay it out straight. A chain dropped in a heap knots itself, and pulling at a knot is how links get stretched or kinked. Wall hooks or a small stand work well if you own several.

A soft pouch for each pendant keeps the stones off everything else. Large, heavy pendants are better stored off the chain, since the weight hanging in one spot can put a kink in the chain over time. Lay the pendant face up so nothing presses on the stones or bends the bail.

Rings, watches and grillz

Ring slots in a box hold each ring upright and apart. Keep iced rings away from plain gold bands, which pick up fine scratches from the stones. A solid gold ring can be polished back, but it is easier not to need it.

Store watches on a cushion or in a watch box, crystal up, with the bracelet closed. Never stack them. An iced bezel resting on another watch will mark its crystal and its polished case. If a watch has to go in a drawer, give it a pouch of its own, and keep mechanical watches away from speakers and magnetic clasps (Is Your Watch Magnetized? explains why).

Grillz need to be brushed, rinsed and dried fully before they go back in their case. Storing them damp in a closed case is asking for smells and tarnish. More on that in Grillz: Fit, Styles and Care.

Tarnish and humidity

Sterling silver tarnishes when it reacts with sulfur compounds in the air, and damp air speeds that up. A bathroom is the worst room in the house for jewelry: steam, sprays and temperature swings, plus a sink waiting for something to fall in. A bedroom drawer or a closet shelf is better.

• Drop an anti-tarnish strip into each compartment or pouch with silver in it, and replace it as the packet directs.
• Add a silica gel sachet to the box to soak up moisture. Keep the ones that come with shoes and electronics.
• For silver you rarely wear, a small zip bag with the air pressed out slows tarnish a lot.
• Keep silver away from rubber bands, which contain sulfur and can leave dark marks.
• Keep the box out of direct sun and away from radiators.

Traveling with jewelry

Travel is where pieces get lost or damaged, usually because they were packed in a hurry.

• Chains: thread one through a drinking straw and fasten the clasp outside it. The straw stops it tangling with anything else.
• Rings and small pendants: a weekly pill organizer gives each piece its own compartment and snaps shut.
• Watches: a padded watch roll keeps them apart and protects the crystals.
• Carry it on. Jewelry belongs in your carry-on bag, not a checked bag.
• Never wrap pieces in tissue or a napkin. It looks like trash and gets thrown away, at home and in hotel rooms.

Storing pieces for months at a time

If something is going away for a season or longer, prepare it properly.

1. Clean it, then let it dry completely, including under the stones.
2. Bag silver with an anti-tarnish strip and press out the air.
3. Keep each piece separate, labeled if you have several similar ones.
4. Check on everything every few months, and replace strips and silica gel.

For a battery-powered watch going into storage for a long stretch, a watchmaker can take the battery out so an old cell cannot leak inside the case. Before wearing any piece again after a long break, check the prongs and clasp, and give an iced watch the clean described in How to Clean an Iced Out Watch. For everyday cleaning of the rest, see How to Care for Silver and Gold Jewelry.