The process of packing necklaces and other jewelry items during a move requires a lot of careful handling and efficiency. From stone studded necklaces to dazzling wristwatches, every accessory is fragile and needs to be protected during the move. Even if you keep your collection in a box, you need to make sure that all the items are kept intact and safe.
In order to give you an idea of packing accessories, here is a guide that explains how to pack necklaces and other jewelry items for a move.
Packing necklaces
Necklaces may seem like simple jewelry items, but they are particularly difficult to pack as opposed to small accessories like earrings. This is because necklaces can easily become a knotted and tangled mess and it would take forever to untangle them.
There are several ways of packing necklaces to ensure that they arrive in your new home untwisted and tangle-free. Let's look at some of these methods for packing necklaces:
- Use plastic zip-lock bags - Gather a bunch of small, zip-locked plastic baggies. Take each individual necklace with the clasp fastened and wrap them in tissues. Then, place them carefully in their own small bag. Seal the bag. When finished, place all the bags inside one larger plastic bag.
- Thread through the straws - Buy a box of plastic drinking straws or use any old ones if you have them in store. Unclasp each necklace and thread the chains through the straw. Use two straws for especially long necklaces and cut straws in half for very short necklaces. Clasp the necklace and place the straws in a sealable plastic bag.
- Create pouches out of pantyhose - Jewelry retailers often store necklaces in small velvet or fabric pouches. You can create your own by purchasing several packages of cheap pantyhose. Cut each leg of the hose horizontally in six-inch sections. Place each clasped necklace inside the pocket and secure each open end with a rubber band. Place the homemade necklace pouches in a larger bag or box.
- Lay them on bubble wrap - Spread a large sheet of bubble wrap onto a flat surface. Carefully take each clasped necklace and lay them flat on the bubble wrap. Tape the necklaces to the sheet, using two strips of tape- one to secure each end of the necklace to the bubble wrap. When finished, roll the bubble wrap into a cylinder and pack.
- Loop them through a toilet paper roll - Take an empty cardboard toilet paper roll and loop each unfastened necklace through, then clasp it. You can fit many necklaces on one small roll. This is also optimal for thicker necklaces that won't fit through a straw. Place the roll carefully inside a large plastic bag when finished.
- Place them inside a tackle box - Tackle boxes have small, convenient and sometimes adjustable compartments for storage, perfect for fragile, easily tangled items such as necklaces. Simply place one fastened necklace in each compartment to keep them separated and knot-free.
Packing other jewelry items
Now that you know the specific ways of packing necklaces, let's move on to other jewelry items.
The good thing about packing your jewelry is that you can easily keep all your pieces in your jewelry box during the move. However, you'll have to make sure to protect the items from getting damaged on the way to your new home.
Most people have a jewelry box in which they can store all their accessories, but if you don't have one then you can also use a strong, sturdy box instead.
In order to pack your jewelry the right way, you'll need the following items:
- A jewelry box or a sturdy box
- Stack of tissue paper
- Sheets of packing paper
- Paper pads
- Moving blanket
- Roll of packing tape
- Permanent marker
6 Steps to pack your jewelry efficiently
Follow this step-by-step guide to pack your jewelry for the move in the most efficient manner.
Step 1: Protect the items
Delicate and fragile items like wristwatches need some extra protection. For this, you can simply take each watch and wrap it with tissue paper. This will preserve the inner mechanism of the watch and prevent it from getting nicked or scratched by your other pieces. Any particularly breakable or expensive items should be given the same treatment.
Step 2: Make the box stable
The next step is to ensure that nothing shifts around inside the box. This can be accomplished by stuffing tissue paper into each section or any places where there are openings. You'll want to put enough paper so that nothing moves around, but you don't want to put in so much paper that it becomes difficult to open the drawers.
Step 3: Protect the box from outside
If your box is small, you can wrap it in packing paper, like you would wrap a gift. Tape the ends of the paper to the rest of the package to ensure it stays protected. It can then be placed in a larger box with your other items.
Step 4: Packing a big box
If you have a large, free standing jewelry box, then it should be packaged like any other piece of furniture. Wrap it with paper pads and packing tape, and label it appropriately.
Step 5: Label the box
After you have packed the box properly, use a permanent marker and label it appropriately. Remember to mark the box with words like "Fragile", "Handle with Care" or "This Side Up". This would make it easy to carry the box.
Step 6: Loading the box to the truck
Once you have wrapped the big box and it's protected, you can cover it with a moving blanket to ensure double protection during the move.
Packing small accessories without a box
In case you don't want to use a box for packing your accessories, you can use business cards or buttons to wrap small items like earrings. For this, follow these steps:
- Poke small holes on a business card and fit as many earrings as possible onto one card.
- Another way is to thread the earring through the buttonhole and fitting the post through the other side.
- Once you have sorted all your jewelry as per the size, keep storing the items in sandwich bags of suitable sizes. Ultimately, pack all of them in a larger sandwich bag.
By following the tips mentioned above, your jewelry would be packed the right way and it would arrive in your new house undamaged.