Care for Your Jewelry on the Go

We invest in jewelry and count on it to enhance our image and complete our wardrobe. Then, at the end of the day, we take the jewelry off in the car and throw it our purse where it may remain for months. What kind of treatment is that? Since carrying a heavy velvet jewelry roll around everywhere isn't too convenient, here are some easy and effective ways to protect your jewelry no matter where you are or where you're going.

What You'll Need
Large (Monthly or Weekly depending on your needs) Pill Case
Hard-sided Eyeglass Case - preferable a double-case with two pockets and a mirror
Moleskin Adhesive Padding
Small microfiber (eyeglass lens cleaning) cloth

First, find your jewelry. Where are you most likely to stash your daily earrings and necklace? If your purse holds most of your jewelry then find a hard-side eyeglass case to keep in your purse. The best kind of eyeglass cases for the job are the dual-compartment cases with a mirror and contact lens holder. Better yet, find a eyeglass lens cleaning cloth (or small microfiber cloth) to stash in the case. Use the cloth to quickly wipe off jewelry before you tuck it away. This is particularly useful for pearls that could use the extra padding and care. You can find the one pictured at Avon.com. The contact lens case is a good place to store an extra earring back or two. (If you do lose an earring back at some point during the day, take the eraser off a pencil and secure the earring post into that until you can get another earring back.

If your jewelry tends to end up in the "everything drawer" in the bathroom, you can use an eyeglass case there too. Or, if your daily jewelry consists of smaller stud-type earrings and small pendants, you can use a larger month or week sized, see-through pill holder. If you know you're not likely to use a case or pill holder, get some felt or velvet liner from a craft store and put that down on the bottom of the drawer to provide some cushion. Another way to store earrings if you are tight on room, is to get sturdy (non-fraying) ribbon and simply push your earrings and pins through the ribbon to hold them together.

Drugstores have a nearly endless supply of pill cases. I used one of the largest pill sorter/holders I could find (with 28 compartments) and lined the bottom of each compartment with self-stick moleskin padding. The padding can be found in most drugstores in the foot care section. Lining the compartments isn't mandatory, but if you have pearls, amber, turquoise or other soft stones, the moleskin fabric can keep them from getting dented.

If you wear the same jewelry everyday, always keep it in the same place - no matter where that is. I keep a plain pair of gold earrings in my purse since I frequently run out the door without putting on any jewelry. Remember to clean and disinfect earrings periodically to keep them from causing irritation to your ears.

For long-term storage of jewelry, purchase satin or velvet bags from a craft store to hold the jewelry pieces and keep them from rubbing against each other. Don't use airtight containers as they can cause some materials to discolor over time. Organza bags, though delicate, can be very useful since they are just transparent enough to see your jewelry through the fabric.

Remember the rule for wearing jewelry - "last thing on, first thing off." Avoid spraying perfume, deodorant or hairspray when you're wearing jewelry. Also remove any body lotion, hand cream or soap residue from your jewelry at least every night.