How to Store Jewellery Properly (and Stop It Tangling, Tarnishing and Scratching)

Pieces from our collection

Here's a truth of the trade: more jewellery is ruined in drawers than on bodies. Chains tangle into knots, stones scratch each other, silver tarnishes in humid air, and pearls dry out next to radiators. The fixes are cheap and mostly take minutes — here's how to store everything properly.

Rule one: pieces shouldn't touch

Hardness differences mean your jewellery can damage itself. Moissanite and zirconia are hard enough to scratch gold, silver and pearls just by rattling around together in a box. Give each piece its own compartment, pouch or slot — a lined multi-compartment jewellery box is the single best investment, but individual soft pouches (many pieces, including ours, arrive in one — keep it!) work just as well.

Beating tarnish: dry and airtight

Silver and, more slowly, plated pieces tarnish through contact with air and humidity. The two tricks jewellers actually use: store silver in small zip-lock bags with the air pressed out, and toss anti-tarnish strips (a few pounds for a year's supply) into your jewellery box — they absorb the sulphur compounds that cause tarnish before your silver can. Avoid bathrooms altogether: the humidity swings of a daily shower make them the worst room in the house for jewellery.

The pearl exception

Everything above has one big exception. Pearls should not live in airtight plastic — nacre contains a small amount of moisture, and sealed environments (or hot, dry spots near radiators) can dry it out over years, causing cracks in the surface. Store pearls in a breathable soft cloth pouch or fabric-lined compartment, away from heat. And wear them — pearls genuinely benefit from the gentle contact with air.

Stopping the chain-tangle nightmare

Three options, all effective: fasten each necklace's clasp before storing (a closed loop tangles far less), hang chains on hooks, or thread fine chains through a drinking straw and clasp them shut for travel — an old trick that works perfectly. For travel generally, a small jewellery roll with separate pockets prevents a bag-bottom disaster.

Quick reference

Material Best storage Avoid
Sterling silver Airtight bag + anti-tarnish strip Open air, bathrooms
Gold plated / vermeil Individual soft pouch, dry spot Contact with harder pieces
Pearls Breathable cloth pouch Sealed plastic, heat, other jewellery
Gemstone pieces Separate compartments Loose mixing — stones scratch metal

Ten minutes of setup — a lined box, a few pouches, a pack of anti-tarnish strips — and every piece you own will stay closer to the day you bought it.