My goal for this series is to help you recognize when it is time to let things go. And that sometimes it just makes sense to say buh-bye to things. I hope this series inspires you and you have a little fun.
To start, I will say that we definitely hang on to jewelry for longer than we should. I think it is because jewelry is small so we keep lots of it and for a long time. Having too much jewelry can easily become messy and out of control, so keep your collection to a minimum. It is actually very freeing to rid of what you do not wear and if you are like most people, you end up wearing maybe only half of what you have and the rest collects dust.
By the way, fun fact, did you notice that jewelry is often mispronounced? The pronunciation in the dictionary is ‘jew-el-ry’, from the root word ‘jewel’ rather than pronouncing it ‘jew-ler-y’. Anyhow, I digress…
So here we go, in no particular order, here is a list of when it is time to say buh-bye…
| When | Reason |
| 1. You lose one earring | If you have searched for it already, you can wait a season for good measure to see if it shows up, but if it doesn’t, it never will. |
| 2. It changes colour | If the piece is real gold or silver it can be cleaned and looks brand new when you do. However, with costume jewelry, whether it once was gold, rose gold or silver coloured, it will only continue to change colour and is noticeable that it doesn’t look as nice as it once did. Make peace with the fact that when you buy costume jewelry, it may only last 1-2 years and then it likely has to go bye bye. |
| 3. Styles have changed | Jewelry styles change so quickly. Peruse the jewelry section at a store every 6 months to a year to see what the current style is for size, shapes, trends, colours, material etc. Then compare the styles you see in the store with what you have at home and donate what you have in your collection that you do not see in stores. |
| 4. You still have very large necklaces or earrings | Unless large jewelry is worn in your culture, on an every day basis, large earrings and necklaces are not in style and can look dated and are not youthful |
| 5. You have small, delicate watches in your collection | Small delicate watches were in style back in the day. Then styles changed to oversized watches and now are more reasonable sized watches. Plus consider size and scale: unless you have teeny, tiny wrists, small watches look out of proportion. Opt for a watch that is not too small and not too big. Side note: Fitbit watches are useful, however, be conscious of wearing it 24/7 as the shape is not very flattering on wrists i.e.: it has that same shape all the way around (I don’t know how to describe it) and is not an attractive shape on the wrist in my opinion. |
| 6. You have bracelets made out of beads (or fabric) | This is not the most sophisticated or mature choice for jewelry. This look is cute for teens, however, do not recommend wearing beads or fabric bracelets as an adult. |
| 7. Your jewelry is noisy | If people can hear you coming, or your pieces are clank-y, it probably will be a noise issue for others (if not yourself). |
| 8. It is broken or missing jewels | If it has been more than 2 years and you have not fixed the item, chances are, you never will. Could be that fixing it costs more than what you paid for it. Make peace with the fact that it had it’s run. |
| 9. It was a gift and you never liked it | Jewelry can be a very personal choice (like fragrance), therefore, if it is not your style, it would be better to donate it so someone else could enjoy it. |
| 10. Earrings hurt your ears | I am sure we have all experienced a time when we can tell the metal it is not collaborating well with our ears. Or the earring is too heavy and pulls down your earlobes. Either way, it is not worth the uncomfortableness. |
Final Thoughts
Review and purge your jewelry once a year or at least every two years as styles change so quickly and jewelry can easily accumulate. If you do not purge frequently, it ends up being a bigger project than if you tackle it every year. Having too much jewelry can become messy if you are not incredibly organized i.e: earrings can move around and lump together and necklaces become tangled…you know how it is. Plus there is the issue of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. If you have too much and cannot see your pieces, you definitely will not wear them.
I recommend treating yourself to a new jewelry box or organizer that works for you. It is nice to have a fresh, new option. I downsized recently and found this great jewelry box online (below) but there are other amazing choices and for all budgets.
All the best and until next time…
