Customizable Pieces for an Organized Collection

Is there such a thing as owning too much jewelry?

Yes, yes, there is.

And if you have too much jewelry, it’s quite the catch 22. Like everything else, I have amassed an impressive collection of jewelry over my lifetime because I get rid of very little.

I know exactly where I got the pack rat gene, and I come by it honestly. That being said, I also got the organizing gene, which is far more of a mystery, and those two things don’t always exist harmoniously in me. I am familiar with the KonMari method of organizing/de-cluttering, and while I can appreciate it aesthetically, the thought of having to go through my things so…militantly…causes me anxiety that’s almost overwhelming. The jewelry situation was out of control, however, and that was stressing me out so I came up with a solution that, so far, has worked exactly the way I intended.

What prompted this reevaluation was the eight, yes, EIGHT boxes with earrings, necklaces, rings, pins, etc. that were sitting on top of the dresser. I had three boxes of nothing but bracelets. Now ask me how much of that jewelry I wore on a regular basis.

Zero. None. Zip. Nada.

Why?

Because I couldn’t get to any of it. To find a pair of earrings, I had to move three other boxes, and then dig through two large compartments crammed with probably 75 pairs, give or take.

My ears are pierced twice and I wear diamond studs in the upper holes that I do not take out, except to clean periodically. Other than a watch, which usually sat on top of the dresser next to the eight jewelry boxes so that I could actually get to it, I’d gotten to where I didn’t wear much else. Now, the tragic part of this whole situation is that I have some great jewelry that I really love, but I couldn’t even enjoy it.

One day I was watching a YouTube video and the creator was talking about accessories and showing her jewelry box and this idea hit me. If I could pare down my jewelry to a manageable amount, I might actually start wearing it again. I could choose pieces, store the rest, and whenever the mood strikes me, rotate everything around. All I needed was smaller storage that was easy to get in and out of.

I did a bit of research and found the jewelry storage I’d seen in the video at The Container Store. I happened to catch a sale and what I purchased was 40% off. I love what I ended up with and it works perfectly for me.

Stackers is a brand from the UK and they carry a variety of storage/organization pieces, as well as other gifts and home items. You can find their web page here. The site has some great ideas, tips, tricks, advice, and general information under the ‘inspo’ tab, as well as all of the merchandise they carry.

As I mentioned above, I got my pieces at The Container Store, but they can also be found on Amazon.com under a quick search with the term ‘stackers jewelry’. If you do decide to purchase at The Container Store, make sure you’ve signed up for their rewards program (POP) and you’ll receive emails with coupons, special offers, and notices of what’s on sale. (Please note, for the purposes of this post, I’m only going over what they offer at The Container Store. I know they have additional choices on the Stackers website and on Amazon.)

Let’s take a look at the pieces I got and maybe you’ll be inspired to organize or reorganize your own collection.

If you’re interested in getting a Stackers for yourself, there are some decisions you’ll have to make. First, do you want glass layers, or do you want layers that are made of cruelty free vegan leather over MDF board? If you opt for the vegan leather, you’ll need to choose a color that will work for you. They offer vanilla, blush, taupe, mink, or white, all very muted so any of them would look great on your dresser, counter, or chest of drawers and not clash with other things in the space.

Once you’ve chosen a material and color, then you’ll have to determine what size you’d like. They come in a mini size (7 1/4” x 5 1/4” x 1 3/4”) with one attached lid choice and two level choices or the classic (9 7/8″ x 7 1/4″ x 1 3/4″) or supersize (14 1/4” x 10” x 1 3/4”) options, each having one attached lid choice and four level choices. The layers all have the same length and width dimensions, but some are deeper than others.

Additionally, they offer a separate removable wooden lid in a light, natural wood, and a darker walnut, if you’d prefer over the attached lid option.

I went with the vegan leather in blush classic with the attached lid top.

FIRST (TOP) LAYER – Classic Lidded Stackers (9 7/8″ x 7 1/4″ x 1 3/4″)

The blush color is a pale pink, with a soft gray velvet interior, and rose gold hardware. The top layer has the attached lid and closes securely with a firmly set snap. Inside there are six equally sized compartments with the front middle compartment having padded rolls that hold stud earrings. The Container Store photo shows it holding rings, but I found that most of mine stood up too far and were denting the inside of the lid when closed. Instead, I opted to put all but two of my rings in the next layer, which we’ll get to in a minute. I chose six pairs of stud earrings for this space and I love that they stay together so neatly.

I picked out a few necklaces, one plain silver chain, some of my nicer bracelets, and my Coach watch to put in the spaces around the earrings. The two long spaces at the back were perfect for my charm bracelet and my Brighton Christmas charm bracelet.

Nothing is crammed in, I can easily see everything, and, believe it or not, having limited choices makes me MUCH more inclined to open it up and quickly pick something out.

SECOND (MIDDLE) LAYER – Classic 25-Section Stackers (9 7/8″ x 7 1/4″ x 1 3/4″)

This is an uncovered layer with 25 equally sized compartments.  In 20 of the compartments I have 27 pairs of earrings, but they’re all fairly small so I can still give a glance and quickly find what I need. I have three rings in one of the remaining five compartments, three compartments have smaller, more delicate link bracelets, and the final compartment has four pendants/charms I can put on one of the chains from the top compartment.

Again, everything fits well, and the top layer nestles in nicely, although it is not secured down. That’s what you want, though, because the whole purpose of having this particular storage system is so you can easily get into any layer, at any time, with minimal fuss.

THIRD (BOTTOM) LAYER – Classic Deep 3-Section Stackers

This layer is so versatile, you could use it in a variety of ways. There are three equally sized deep compartments. I picked up one insert, the gray watch roll. stackers watch roll I was able to fit four watches on the roll that I put in one end of the three section layer. I can get watches off and put them back easily.

I have bracelets in the other two sections. In the middle, there is one cuff bracelet, four bangles, and seven bead and/or string bracelets. And in the other outside section are 10 link bracelets laid out nicely so that I can still see everything.

When you go to The Container Store website, once you choose the material, size, and color that you want, all of the layers (with the exception of the wooden lid options) should be listed below. You can use this link: stackers jewelry storage, if you’re interested in one like mine.

I absolutely love this because for the first time, in a long time, it’s not overwhelming for me to grab some jewelry on my way out. I can see everything quickly and easily, and I’m enjoying so many pieces I’d forgotten I had. In a few months, I’ll switch some things out, and I get to be excited all over again. Stackers has worked perfectly for me!

What’s your jewelry situation like? Do you have just a few pieces, or could you outfit your entire neighborhood, and then some? How do you have it all stored/contained? Let me know in the comments.