Make Room for the Gift of Jewelry BY C A R R I E M C C O N K E Y, W W W.C A R R I E M C C O N K E Y.C O M
Engage matte gold jewelry pull-out with removable dividers for a modern look.
Custom pull-out vertical necklace board from Closets by McKenry with velvet lined jewelry tray.
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ANY OF US will receive the most romantic of all Christmas presents this year: The gift of jewelry. Be it an everlasting engagement ring, a sparkly set of gemstone earrings, or a chic statement necklace, adding a new piece to your collection gives you a great reason to evaluate and organize what you already own. Below are four steps to make the most of your precious pieces. 1. Take inventory of your collection Is your jewelry stashed in more than one place? Follow Marie Kondo’s advice and gather every type of jewelry you own - from costume to fine pieces - and corral it all into one place. A good idea is to lay a solid, light-colored bed sheet over your bed and spread your baubles neatly across it. Begin separating into categories that suit your visual and mental ways of organizing, be it by color, value, type, set, how often you wear it, etc. 2. Purge what you don’t love Take stock of your stash. Are there rings due for repair, necklaces you no longer use, or earrings you haven’t worn since high school? Remove those items and decide whether or not they are worth salvaging, perhaps
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EVERYTHING KNOXVILLE
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Jewelry tray insert for drawers.
by passing them along for your children or grandkids to play dress-up or selling locally on consignment. If your heart tugs at a piece because of the memories associated with it or the person from whom it was received, plan to keep it in a different place. 3. Re-think your storage Consider creating new storage for your collection to keep it close at hand, clean, and in view. Keep necklaces tangle-free using the small hooks of a tie rack, or install custom cabinetry with shallow drawers fitted with either stationary or removable velvet-lined trays. Leftover jewelry store boxes can become a pretty way to organize items like paper clips and spare ink pens or they can house those sentimental pieces that you no longer wear. 4. Create satellite safe spaces In the bedroom, kitchen, and bath, find creative ways to keep your favorite pieces from being knocked off the counter (or down the drain). Set out a ring dish, or search for vintage saucers or bowls to keep earrings and necklaces safe. Or try a leather, snap-together valet tray that you can pack and take with you for hotel bathrooms or
bedside tables while traveling. By organizing your jewelry trove, you can breathe life into your collection while making room for new Christmas keepsakes. Visit Chris McKenry and his talented group of designers at the Closets by McKenry West Knoxville showroom to see jewelry storage in action (and dream up unique ways to organize your own adornments). Call or click for a free at-home or virtual consultation, and make sure to visit Chris and his team at the Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show, returning to the Knoxville Convention Center on February 11-13, 2022. They hope to see you there!
Closets by McKenry 201 Center Park Drive, #1070 Knoxville, TN 37922 865.249.6382 www.ClosetsbyMcKenry.com