It’s the morning rush. You reach for a necklace to add a little spice to your outfit but it’s all tangled with the other necklaces, the ones you haven’t worn in months and forgot about because they’re in a big knot. No time to mess with it now. Maybe some earrings. You found one. No doubt its mate is buried at the bottom of your overstuffed jewelry box. Well, maybe you have to skip that look for today and just stick with the basics, like your watch. You put it down somewhere, but where? You realize its time for some jewelry organizers.

If getting ready looks a lot like this, you could probably also benefit from the expert tips of Professional organizer Leticia Pfeiffer of Styled and Organized Living. Her simple ideas and tricks can help make jewelry easy to find and coordinate. Leticia also has suggestions for creating pretty jewelry displays.

Take Inventory of Your Jewelry

Leticia suggests first reviewing what you have, “I always have my clients go through their things, sort them into categories like gold, silver and statement pieces, so they can see how much they have of one type. Then just organically they can start to weed out things out, like the pieces they don’t wear anymore, broken things, gift pieces they never really liked. Then they can work with just what they wear every day and seasonal items that can be rotated in storage.”

She suggests setting up two areas – a display for frequently worn pieces so you can easily see what you have and grab and go, and a storage place like a jewelry box or an organizer placed in a drawer to rotate off-season items. “In the winter, when you’re wearing a big scarf, you probably won’t wear a statement necklace, so that would go into your seasonal storage.”

A common problem with jewelry that is tucked away in a drawer or jewelry box is that it’s often forgotten. That’s why Leticia stresses a rotation method. “You change out your jewelry like you would winter coats and bedding.” She adds this also creates a pause to evaluate what you have. “It gives you a chance to clean things and decide if something’s worth keeping if you never wear it.”

Create Jewelry Displays

For the jewelry you wear every day, Leticia recommends creating your own jewelry displays like the ones mentioned earlier to be able to “shop” for what you want to wear that day.

She is keen on finding items around the house that can be repurposed into a jewelry holder. “Everybody seems to have a dish, whether it’s something from their grandmother or just a dish they thought was pretty and it was an impulse buy. Those are great to put jewelry in on a dresser top.” She advises looking for dessert plates, candy dishes or footed nut bowels. “Teacups are also great. You can use them with the saucer or without. Put matching sets like bracelets in the cup and rings around the saucer.”

To keep it all together she rounds everything up on a small tray. “You categorize your pieces in the dishes by type or color. Then put them in a group so you can see what you have and mix and match.”

Leticia also recommends pin boards and peg boards to hang larger pieces such as chunky necklaces and dangle fishhook earrings.  “You can find push pin boards just about anywhere. I found some really pretty framed ones for a client. We bought three and hung them in a row. Then we categorized each board for a type of jewelry she had – silver, gold and pearl. It looked pretty and decorative.”

For those who don’t have any countertop or wall space to work with, Leticia has other solutions. “There are some fun organizers with clear pockets that you can hang over the door or in your closet with your clothes.”

Consider Jewelry Organizer Storage Solutions

Bracelets – I found these clear acrylic paper towel holders that are just a platform and spool and I thought it would be really fun for stacking big, bangle bracelets. I also like to contain them on a tray or dish so you can easily pull out what you want to wear.

Necklaces – There are a lot of jewelry trees out there. I like to find the ones that are more decorative and don’t look like a mannequin form made for jewelry. I saw a pagoda at an antique store and thought that would be fun for hanging jewelry on.

Earrings – I wear lots of stud earrings for work and I just keep them all in a little covered dish. You could also containerize both large and small earrings in an egg dish.

Rings – I like looking for interesting figurines, anything with a point or a stem like a star or an elephant with its trunk up. The big statement rings never fit into those little jewelry boxes, so I like to use a pretty dish or teacup.

She suggests creating a jewelry “home” for everyday essentials such as watches and wedding bands. “Designate one dish in a place where you typically take it off every day such as by the sink or a nightstand. “Then there isn’t a panic wondering where it is when you’re rushing out the door.”

Leticia says with any organizing product, the key is to keep like items together in one place so they are easy to find. She encourages her clients to have fun with creating displays for their jewelry. “You get to enjoy that gorgeous dish that wouldn’t otherwise be used or hang your jewelry on a pretty board and turn it into art. Just keep it simple, keep it easy!”

Photos courtesy of the Container Store.