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A decade of jewelry collecting has taught me that where you keep your treasures matters as much as the treasures themselves. Otherwise, you risk scuffed gold, tangled chains, or, even worse, the heartbreak of something going missing. I have over 200 pieces of jewelry that I store across a number of trays, cases, and even a miniature curio cabinet. But the right jewelry organizer (or organizers) for you is really about what you have, whether that’s a large collection of inherited heirlooms or a small slate of demi-fine pieces. The list of the best jewelry organizers below includes some favorites I’ve been using for years to protect my most precious pieces. To round out the rest of the recommendations, I asked jewelry designers, fellow collectors, and professional organizers about the jewelry boxes, catchalls, and stands they use and tried some of those out too. If you’re looking to organize other parts of your home as well, we also have guides to the best storage bins, drawer organizers, and closet organizers.
Update on November 5, 2024: Included size details for Pottery Barn’s Stella Jewelry Box; added Ariel Gordon’s Scalloped Floret Jewelry Box and another co-sign to Stackers’s Expandable Jewelry Storage Tray; updated prices and checked stock for all other products.
What we’re looking for
Design
Jewelry organizers fall into two categories: open storage (stands, catchalls, trays) and closed storage (boxes, drawers, cases). The general guidance is that the finer the jewelry, the more careful you want to be.
Pieces with semiprecious stones or precious metals (silver, especially) should be stored in a soft, lined box (velvet is popular). Costume jewelry is a little more forgiving, so it can be left out in the open. Two caveats, though: (1) Beware of dust bunnies, and (2) keep stones away from the sun, as shine fades. Use small catchall trays and dishes as resting places for rings and anything you put on and take off frequently. A jewelry stand — usually meant for bracelets and necklaces — prevents tangles and knots.
Then there’s the presentation to consider. “Storage is really about compliance,” explains Ope Omojola, founder of Octave Jewelry. “If there’s a really amazing piece of storage that is perfect and works really well in the abstract, but you’re never going to use it or you hate how it looks, then it’s not for you.” There’s an argument for clear organizers to get a glimpse of everything you own, but these can feel a little crafty — a see-through lid might be more than enough to help you keep track of your most-worn pieces. Meanwhile, an attached mirror makes trying on easy, like you’re sitting at a jeweler’s counter.
Division of storage space
Sure, you can do what Jennifer Behr, founder of an eponymous accessories line, does: Keep pieces that are fine or demi-fine in the boxes they came in and tape a small picture of the contents to the outside to know what’s what. Or follow Jill Martinelli of Lady Grey’s example: She stores her treasures individually in tiny plastic bags. But the best jewelry organizers will do this job for you with different compartments, tiers, rows, and partitions — the goal is to have each piece in its own place.
Size
For practicality’s sake, a jewelry organizer should be able to hold a lot without taking up a whole lot of space. If you have enough room for a full-on piece of furniture, you could look for an armoire, but I prefer to free up floor space with a wider wall-mounted cabinet. Also take into consideration that the top of your dresser may need rearranging if you choose a box, while catchalls can sit on top of almost anything. To help you choose between our picks, I included the measurements for all the organizers on this list.
Best jewelry organizer overall
Design: Stackable trays and boxes | Division of storage space: Trays with different-size compartments, depending on the design | Size: Starting at 9.88” x 7.25” x 1.75”
Stackers’ modular boxes are like building blocks, with ten designs in either box, drawer, or tray form. You can use each on their own or stack them into a tower that resembles a traditional jewelry box. The build-your-own feature is Stackers’ biggest selling point because you can easily customize your setup for your needs, whether you’re storing a whole bracelet’s worth of charms, rings for every finger, big necklaces and statement earrings, or any other assortment of jewels. I’ve tested the “lidded box” version, which opens to reveal a mix of square and rectangular compartments, including one just for rings and studs. It keeps everything separate, so strands of pearls aren’t rubbing against chain bracelets, and the neutral velvet lining gives me a good view of what I have while keeping everything cushioned.
Stackers are also nice-looking. “I wanted a real adult jewelry box. This is exactly that,” says Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo, who owns three components: the same lidded box that I have, a 25-section tray, and a ring-bracelet tray. The cost of each component ranges from $28 to $40, so how much you spend will depend on how many pieces you need to store. But they are pretty affordable overall since you can buy only what you need. Professional organizers also vouch for them: Heidi Lee likes that you can separate each tray to see everything side by side, Caroline Solomon considers the 25-section tray a must-have for storing earrings, and Britnee Tanner appreciates that you can always add new trays as your jewelry collection grows.
Best jewelry box
Design: Box | Division of storage space: A number of trays and drawers with different compartments in each, depending on the size (small, large, ultimate) | Size: Starting at 7.25” x 5” x 4.25”
Pottery Barn’s Stella is the quintessential jewelry box. It has a traditional look, with four different finishes (black, white, oak, and burlwood). It now comes in three sizes: small (with a mirror inside) for $99, large (with a glass top) for $149, and the ultimate (which flips open to reveal more storage space) for $249. I went for the ultimate, which can store over 100 pieces of jewelry. The extra space made a difference: The bottom drawer easily holds my necklaces that have toppled many a necklace stand before. It reminded me of a treasure chest — and like an actual treasure chest, it takes some elbow grease to haul around (or from one end of a dresser to another). But once it’s where you want it to be, it’s not going anywhere. Juliana Ramirez, brand director at Loeffler Randall (formerly of Lizzie Fortunato), is also a fan: She praises the sturdy construction and the many compartments. “My days of awkwardly sifting through a ton of clunky dust bags are officially over,” she told me.
Best (splurge-worthy) jewelry box
Design: Box | Division of storage space: Pull out tray with 28 earring or ring slots and 4 bracelet drawers, bottom tray with 12 necklace inserts, and lid doubles as another tray | Size: 13” x 10” x 3”
If you’re on the hunt for a high-end, high-design jewelry box, you want Ariel Gordon’s. (You might’ve seen it in videos from a few fellow jewelry collectors.) I was sent mine in March, and ever since, it’s where some of my oldest jewelry safely rests. It fits a lot. There’s a pull-out tray with 28 rolls to slot rings and earrings, while the bottom part of the box has 12 individual necklace inserts. You string a chain through the slits on the top of the inserts, and a pocket in the back will hold the rest of a chain and clasp. (You can also take out the inserts individually and use the empty cubbies for something else entirely.)
Everything’s displayed neatly, and it’s easy to find anything; I haven’t lost a post on a stud so far. You can tell it’s a jeweler’s jewelry box — only a jeweler could think of a lid that flips over into another tray. It’s also lined with anti-tarnishing Lusterloc, which you’ll also find in Marla Aaron’s $2,400 Everything Box. I was dubious at first, but I have most of my costume jewelry in the Ariel Gordon box and haven’t seen any additional tarnishing on my cheaper gold-plated pieces (compared to when I had them on a catchall). This one is a splurge for sure, but you get a great deal of storage and something that looks great on a dresser, too. It makes you want to play dress-up with your jewelry.
Best hanging jewelry organizer
Design: Cabinet, wall mountable | Division of storage space: 84 ring slots, 32 necklace hooks, 48 stud holes, 90 earring slots | Size: 14.49” x 3.94” x 47.24”
This Songmics cabinet comes with all the trappings: a full-length mirrored front, LED lights on one side, shelves to store more than just jewelry, and a lock with keys. It has the most storage space out of all the organizers on this list, with space for at least 84 rings, 32 necklaces, and 24 pairs of studs. You can hang it on the back of a door (hooks to do so are included) or mount it on the wall (screws are also supplied). The cabinet is discreet — it mostly looks like a mirror when it’s closed — so it doesn’t call attention to pieces you would rather not have lying around. And Christina Tung of SVNR describes it as more practical than having catchalls all over the place. She also uses it to rein her collection: “That’s my new rule for things — if it doesn’t fit in the organization system I put together, then I know I have too much.”
Best jewelry organizer for necklaces
Design: T-bar stand | Division of storage space: Three bars | Size: 8” x 7.2”
Of all the pieces in a jewelry collection, necklaces are the trickiest to organize. Laid out, they often get tangled up by themselves or with other chains. Your best bet is a dedicated stand. Jewelry designer Melinda Maria recommends this one, which has room for bracelets, watches, and earrings with hooked backs. There are three tricks to know about these types of holders: (1) Space out necklaces to prevent tie-ups; (2) keep your most-worn pieces on the ends for an easy out; and (3) don’t keep all your heavy, statement-making treasures on one row, as there’s more of a chance the entire holder will topple over. These can get dusty, so you’ll want to wipe them down occasionally with a microfiber cloth (using strong cleaners can damage the jewelry and the holder).
Best jewelry organizer for long necklaces
Design: Hanger | Division of storage space: 25 hooks | Size: 14” x 2.5” x 1.88”
Long necklaces will often drag on a standard T-stand. A hanging organizer is better suited for them — this Rev-a-Shelf solution can be mounted inside a closet, pulling out like a valet rod. There are a total of 25 hooks on the 14-inch frame, spaced out enough that there’s no need to worry about tangling, according to Corinne Morahan, founder of Grid + Glam, who likes that you don’t have to take off other necklaces to get to the one you want.
Best jewelry organizer for earrings
Design: Rack with hangers | Division of storage space: 12 hangers that each hold one to four pairs, 250 stud holes on the frame | Size: 6.5” x 6”
This cheeky acrylic organizer from Los Angeles–based brand Kikay comes with 12 miniature hangers that each hold up to four pairs of hook, hoop, or clip-on earrings, as well as 51 holes for studs along the frame. Discovered by Strategist writer Kitty Guo, who bought an earlier version of the design a few years ago, this rack is especially appealing for its adorable “mini jewelry closet” aesthetic: Guo browses through the hangers (the famous Clueless scene comes to mind) as she does her wardrobe. The hangers have notches to keep earrings from sliding around, and you can get the rack in other colors too.
Best jewelry display stand
Design: Stand | Division of storage space: Eight hooks with bottom bar and tray | Size: 4.13 x 7.87 x 11.22
Tanner pointed me toward this jewelry display stand from Japanese homeware company Yamazaki. It’s clean and modern, made from a combination of steel and wood. This makes it feel slightly superior to the usual acrylic, she says. There are two bars on the stand, and the top one has eight evenly spaced hooks. Tanner likes that there’s a designated number so you know exactly how many pieces you can fit. The bar beneath can hold bracelets and watches while the tray accommodates frequently worn earrings and rings.
Best jewelry dish
Design: Dish | Division of storage space: Shell-shaped single compartment | Size: 9” x 5” x 3”
Though this Bathing Beauty, from Ohio-based glassware maker Mosser Glass, is billed as a soap or sponge holder, I find it does the jewelry-storing job well. So well, in fact, that I own two of them. The shell-shaped middle offers more room than you think — I have a number of chokers, bangles, and earrings in mine. For earrings with fish hooks (specific to drop or dangle pairs), you can hang the backs on the scalloped edge so you can easily find your favorites. Since there are no interior dividers, however, you’re better off keeping more delicate pieces elsewhere.
Best jewelry trays
Design: Tray | Division of storage space: Circle for a single compartment | Size: No measurements listed
It’s hard to crown one jewelry tray the best over others since each is essentially a glorified plate. I like having several around for my ever-expanding jewelry collection. One of my favorites is actually an ashtray from Casa Carta that I received as a gift years ago. But since my Casa Carta option is a bit of a splurge for what it is, I decided to give jewelry designer Erica Weiner’s recommendation an official place on this list. Her dresser holds “an array of antique ashtrays,” including ones she … let’s say … borrowed from restaurants she’s dined at while traveling. One of her favorites is from the famed (and celebrity-frequented) Café de Flore. “Turns out if you’re not drunk and emboldened to steal, you can buy one,” she explains. It acts as a landing pad for the pieces she reaches for everyday: “It’s so useful because I don’t have to open a drawer or a lid, unlock a safe, or unzip a bag. I just dump it there.” She adds: “I’m lazy and must see the jewelry to wear the jewelry.” (Weiner also approves of this decoupage tray from John Derian, where she keeps a gold-in-quartz watch chain with a horseshoe-shaped locket, a “Cleopatra-ish” turquoise collar, Georgian-era ouroboros hoops, and a beaded necklace made by her 4-year-old).
[Editors’ note: Café de Flore lists its prices in euros, so this is an approximation in U.S. dollars.]
Design: Tray | Division of storage space: Circle for a single compartment | Size: 4” x 4” x 1.25”
I always meant to use this incense burner as a trinket tray because it feels too indulgent for actually burning incense. (Seriously, it features Marie Antoinette’s head and is made by the artisans at French ceramics-maker Astier de Villatte.) It has become the place for my most favorite pieces that also happen to be my tiniest, like these pearl studs. It’s surprisingly sturdy — I have accidentally knocked it over and it hasn’t suffered so much as a crack. I like that it doesn’t have raised edges (compared with a traditional tray like this one), making it more of a display platform than a container. Plus, it’s really an objet d’art — “witty, wistful, and ghoulish” is how it’s described on Catbird’s site — which eases the almost-$100 price tag a tad. (I might have convinced Weiner to buy it for herself, too.)
Best (nestable) jewelry trays
Design: Trays | Division of storage space: Three oval compartments that nest | Size: 4” x 4” x 0.94” (small), 8.6” x 4.6” x 0.94” (medium), 13.11” x 4.57” x 0.94” (large)
Lisa Salzer of Lulu Frost name-checked these nesting trays, which she likes for their rounded curves that make them look like “mini-sculptures.” The trio serves as a “beautiful backdrop” for gems, “so the eye can kind of come into just the jewelry,” she explains. The nesting set is versatile too: You can choose a color to match your jewels, keep the trays nested to create sections, or separate them and spread them around your space. (You can also turn the trays into desk organizers for keys, AirPods, and spare change.) Salzer finds them most useful as a “little, pretty catchall for the end of the day when you’re taking your pieces off.” (She also has a collection of vintage Limoges porcelain plates for the same reason, which she recommends hunting for on Etsy and eBay or at the “almighty tag sale,” where you can almost always score antique dishes “for next to nothing.” Just look for a telltale stamp on the finds.)
Best jewelry organizer for drawers
Design: Tray | Division of storage space: 14 different-size compartments with a separate ring section | Size: 12” (expands to 18.75”) x 10.25” x 1.5”
This Stackers tray is low profile with an adjustable width, which means it can fit easily into a dresser drawer. Strategist writer Lauren Ro put hers inside the shallow drawers in her bedroom’s hutch after realizing the “jumble of necklaces” she had weren’t going to untangle themselves. Now, she has a place to lay out her everyday pieces easily. (Ro even included the Stackers in an installment of our Strategist Haul series.)
Omojola uses hers in a desk drawer, where she can place the trays on top of one another (unstacking as necessary) and expand the sides for a secure fit. “I’m a really visual thinker and I have to see everything laid out,” she says, explaining that she’d rather have “as much of [her] jewelry as possible visible so that when I’m getting dressed and picking out jewelry, it’s right there.” You can stack one on top of another for a jewelry-box effect. (For a more permanent solution, Rev-A-Shelf makes a drawer-within-a drawer system that’s compatible with standard-width drawers and that you use a screwdriver and level to install. Lauren Saltman, owner of the organizing firm Living Simplified, likes its soft-close function so jewels stay put.)
Best travel jewelry case
Design: Case (boxed design) | Division of storage space: Three tabs for earrings or necklaces, a pouch, four compartments, a ring roll | Size: 2” x 4.5” x 4.5”
This travel jewelry case from Target’s Brightroom line is small but mighty with tabs for necklaces, a pouch for pendants, and a combination of compartments with a ring roll. I like that a mirror divides the interior, separating the tabs and pouch on the lid of the case from the compartments on the other side so nothing gets too jostled. Even with a trio of tabs to hold chains, I keep the middle one free to lessen the chance of their getting tangled. (If I’m traveling with more than two necklaces, I put the others in sections at the bottom of the box.) The case takes up a little more room than a travel soap container — as a terrible overpacker, I can tuck it into whatever space is left in a suitcase or weekender. For $10, it does what it’s supposed to for less than a one-way NJ Transit ticket costs me. You could upgrade to Calpak’s Kaya case, which Michelle Berlinger of Berlinger Jewelry uses to protect a diamond tennis bracelet while traveling. Or the monogramable Mark & Graham box that’s “compact enough to throw in your carry-on,” according to Maria.
Best jewelry roll
Design: Case (rolls up) | Division of storage space: 16 loops with snaps | Size: 22” x 11.5” (unfolded), 11. 5” x 4” (folded)
Another space-saving way to take jewelry on your travels is with a roll. When Salzer was traveling for trunk shows, she would “fill up these pretty velvet bad boys” and pack them inside a suitcase. Each is lined with a row of removable loops with snaps to hang necklaces and bracelets. “It’s just self-contained; the fact that it was sort of all stacked in there,” she says. “Nothing could move and nothing could scratch because all was gently held by the velvet.” Once unrolled, the roll reveals what you have in a flat-lay, so you don’t have to dig. A smaller bird-emblazoned brocade jewelry roll is also among her favorite organizers for travel if you’re not bringing much on a trip. It comes with zippered pockets instead of loops, and though it’s no match for actual antique embroidered Chinese silks, it’s hard to beat this price.
Best jewelry cabinet
Design: Cabinet | Division of storage space: Five drawers with interior dividers sold separately | Size: 11” x 15” x 13”
Weiner crowdsourced recommendations from her Instagram followers about how they store their own jewelry after I reached out to her, and received all sorts of great intel. But I was very intrigued by this cabinet she used to use in her studio to divide up different jewelry-making parts, including unfinished cast-metal pieces. Weiner and her colleagues “got sick of opening and closing little plastic bags all the time,” so they came up with this solution. She also added these dividers that are designed to fit inside the cabinet. She thinks the cabinet would work best for those who have larger collections and recommends buying different sizes of the dividers, like the four-part tray for bigger necklaces and the 24-section option for an assortment of rings. Weiner also points out that the dividers are made from a softer plastic, which will be easier on your jewelry. “If you’ve got a piece with little pearls or stones, you don’t want them to be clinking around on a hard surface.” And it helps that this organizer features label holders on the front of each drawer to remind you of what’s in each one. “Or, honestly, I’d leave it blank: more chic,” she suggests.
(Those who have some floor real estate might go for the Alex Drawer that Behr has in her studio and showroom. It looks like a modern flat file, with narrow drawers to help keep everything organized, she explains.)
Some more jewelry organizers we’ve written about
Our experts
• Jennifer Behr, founder of her own eponymous accessories line
• Michelle Berlinger, founder of Berlinger Jewelry
• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior writer
• Kitty Guo, Strategist writer
• Heidi Lee, founder of home-organization service Prune + Pare
• Melinda Maria, jewelry designer
• Jill Martinelli, co-founder of Lady Grey
• Corinne Morahan, founder of Grid + Glam
• Ope Omojola, founder of Octave Jewelry
• Chelsea Peng, Strategist senior editor
• Juliana Ramirez, former brand manager at Lizzie Fortunato
• Lauren Ro, Strategist writer
• Lauren Saltman, owner of organizing company Living Simplified
• Lisa Salzer, founder of Lulu Frost
• Leslie Sigurdson, head of brand collaborations at GLDN Jewelry
• Caroline Solomon, organizing expert
• Britnee Tanner, professional organizer
• Jessica Tse, founder of NOTTE
• Christina Tung, founder of SVNR
• Erica Weiner, jewelry designer
• Tina Xu, founder of I’MMANY
Additional reporting by Arielle Avila.
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