How to organise your jewellery box (and wear more of what you own)

Tangled chains, single earrings with no partner, a pair of jhumkas you forgot you owned. Most jewellery boxes look like this, and it is not because we are careless. It is because jewellery is small, we collect it slowly over years, and we rarely sort it.

Here is a simple way to organise it in one afternoon, using things you already have at home.

Step 1: empty everything out

Take every piece out of the box, the pouches, the bag in the cupboard and the bowl on the dressing table. Lay it all on a bedsheet or towel so small pieces don't roll away.

This is the step most people skip, and it is the most important one. You can't organise what you can't see.

Step 2: sort into groups

Make piles:

• Earrings: studs, jhumkas, danglers, hoops
• Necklaces and chains
• Bangles and bracelets
• Sets (necklace with matching earrings, keep them together)
• Hair and other pieces: maang tikka, nose pins, anklets, hair pins
• Broken or single pieces: a separate small pile

Step 3: decide what stays

Go through each pile and ask:

1. Have I worn this in the last year?
2. Does it go with at least one outfit I own?
3. Is it broken? Can it be fixed easily?

Pieces you love but never wear go in a "wear this month" pile (more on that below). Broken pieces either go for repair this week or get let go. Single earrings can sometimes be turned into a pendant or used for crafts.

Step 4: store by type, so you can see everything

You don't need an expensive organiser. These work well:

• Ice-cube trays or egg trays for studs and small earrings
• Small zip-lock pouches for imitation and oxidised pieces, one piece per pouch (this also keeps them from tarnishing)
• Hooks or a hanger for long chains, so they don't tangle
• A bangle stand, a bottle or a kitchen roll holder for bangles
• The original boxes for sets, labelled on the outside

Keep the pieces you wear most in the easiest place to reach. Keep festive and heavy sets further back.

Step 5: make a list

This is the step that changes everything. Once your jewellery is sorted, write down what you have:

• the piece
• its type
• roughly what you paid
• how often you wear it

A list stops you from buying another pair of earrings you already own, and it shows which pieces you never wear. Our free Jewellery Box Tracker is a one-page printable for exactly this.

Once you have the list, you can also work out each piece's cost per wear: the price divided by the number of times you have worn it. A ₹500 necklace worn 50 times costs just ₹10 a wear. It is a simple way to see which pieces really earned their price. We explain it in how to decide if something is worth the splurge.

Keep it organised: two small habits

• Put it back the same day. Keep a small tray near the mirror for the pieces you take off at night, and put them away in the morning.
• Do a 10-minute sort every month. Check for tangles, tarnish and missing pairs.

The "wear this month" pile

Pick 3 pieces you love but rarely wear. Keep them at the front and wear each at least once this month. You will be surprised how often a forgotten piece becomes a favourite again.

For care tips that keep imitation and oxidised pieces looking new for longer, read how to care for imitation and oxidised jewellery.