Creative Jewelry Storage

 
For someone who never wears a wedding band [I lost them after taking them off and putting them "somewhere safe"  ] and rarely remembers to put in earrings, I sure do own a lot of jewelry.  A lot of it is costume jewelry I have inherited.  And, I rarely leave a thrift store without a new brooch...  

Storage is an issue, not because it wouldn't all easily fit in the wooden stand up jewelry box shown here, but because if I put it all in there, I wouldn't be able to see it.  And I like to SEE it, even if I rarely wear it.    So I've gotten creative over the years.  Photo frames, curl holders, a cone wrapped in blue velvet ribbon that I'm certain was originally a Christmas tree, and an ornament display rack.  Here's a closer look at each:

My most recent addition is a square photo frame that hangs on the wall.

I removed the glass, then cut a piece of foam core board (the stuff that's kind of like posterboard, but with a foam center.  Dollar Tree carries it) and covered that in fabric, placed it in the frame.

Across the top is a piece of copper wire, stuck in to the foam board at each side.  The dangly earrings I actually wear the most go here.  (The rest are on that blue tree)

Stud earrings are just poked into the board.  The backs are all kept in an antique china salt dish.

Along the bottom are pearl push pins - from the Dollar Tree - to hold a few necklaces.

 

One of my husbands aunts had a lot of (fake) pearls.  I LOVE pearls.  So I bought them all from her estate sale.  And then I received more from other relatives..  and there they all hang, on a metal tree meant to display Christmas ornaments.  

The hat and purse came from relatives too.  

A few years ago when I was in a thrift store (yes, there is a theme here...) after Christmas, when all the Christmas items were on clearance, an older woman remarked to her friend that she had seen trees like this one decorated with old jewelry for Christmas displays.  Once I realized they were only chatting and had no intention of buying this, I scooped it up and brought it home.  This is not a Christmas display - it's here year round. Those are hat pins in the very top.

For ring storage, I took another photo frame, removed the glass, and then glued foam curlers to the back of the frame.  Covered it in fabric, tucked in between the curlers..  voila.

Here's a step by step for how I made this:

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2019/02/ring-display-dollar-tree-project.html

In the glass ash tray are pendants that go on a chain to be a necklace.  It's hard to find chains I like,  I keep one or two good ones and just switch these out.  Or, that's the theory.  Realistically, I think I wore a necklace twice this year...  

It's hard to see, but sitting between the blue tree and the ring holder is a little metal thread holder.  It makes good ring storage too.

Side note - that dresser is part of a 3 piece set made in the 1890s.  My husbands grandparents purchased it during the Depression, from the Muncy Hotel.