Alex is the founder of 9Kilo Moving, which he started to help people easily find and choose the right moving company to make their move as stress-free and seamless as possible. He has spent over 20 years working in the moving industry, so he knows every aspect of the business and uses his knowledge to write about the industry and give moving advice. More on about us page
It is often while packing and moving that we are faced with some of the most ridiculous questions. Any number of “what’s” and “why’s” come to the attack, but nothing can prepare you for the “how”. From how to get free boxes to how to get rid of junk, you will find yourself overwhelmed by questions. One of these is very important, reserved for things of value - how to pack jewelry for moving?
Now that’s important not just for their monetary value but also often for their sentimental value, how to pack jewelry is a bit of a brainer. In all the rush, we often forget that these small pieces require the most care. Thankfully, we’ve got it all covered. From packing material to instructions on how to pack each type of jewelry, we’ve answered how to pack jewelry for moving right here.
CALCULATE MY MOVE
With several other items like clothes and knickknacks, sorting them out is never usually the problem. Simply folding clothes and boxing knickknacks works just fine. But packing up jewelry means sorting it all out first. As tedious as this seems, do not skip this step. Packing all your jewelry together will land up with them entangled, ruining their quality and making it a mess to unpack.
Grab a hold of a large, clean sheet of paper, preferably plain and without anything printed on it. This helps to avoid the ink staining your jewelry when it buffs against the paper. Place it down on a large, flat surface. If your tables aren’t big enough, opt for the bed or simply the floor. Remember to keep the kids and pets away when this is happening!
Start to lay out everything you own on the sheet. Be careful to lay them out as neatly as possible, as you want to avoid getting them entangled. Place the rings in one corner, necklaces in another and so forth. While doing this, keep an eye out for the old, worn out pieces that you no longer wear. If these are beyond repair, consider getting rid of them. Remember with any move, the fewer things to move, the better.
Once all the jewelry you’ll be moving is neatly organized, you need an inventory of everything that’s there. Keeping an inventory is a great way to make sure everything is in one place at the end of the move. You can always list it down, but with jewelry, it can get tricky. After all, how do you possibly differentiate between them? Instead, click a photograph of the jewelry and save it to an online storage provider like Dropbox or Google Drive.
Packing supplies are a must with any move, but they differ slightly when it comes to packing jewelry. You’ll have to go beyond the familiar boxes and bubble wrap, and look into egg cartons and straws! Read on for a comprehensive guide on packing supplies for jewelry.
Drinking straw - Paper drinking straws are perfect to keep your necklaces from being entangled with each other. If you have plastic straws then by all means reuse them, but do not purchase new plastic straws just for this. Try to have a move that is as eco-friendly as possible.
Bubble wrap and saran wrap - Perfect as stuffing and fastening material.
Wrapping paper - Using newspaper as stuffing/wrapping paper is always cost-effective. However, avoid the inky newspaper sheets and go for proper acid-free wrapping paper for these valuables.
Cardboard sheets - Great to add stability to the bottom of boxes apart from its use in packing jewelry. Get these from old cardboard boxes.
Ziplocs - Waterproof and secure mini-packaging for your jewelry.
Rubber bands - Ideal to keep bundled items from falling loose all over the place. Make sure you get several sizes, from the small ones to large ones.
Fixing wire/Twistees - Perfect to fasten loose ends and hold smaller items together.
Zip-ties - Safe and secure, these ones require a scissor snip to open them.
Packing tape - Packing tape is better than regular duct tape and is made especially for heavy-duty tasks like moving. However, avoid using packing tape directly on the surface of your jewelry at all costs.
Travel jewelry roll - There could be items of very high value or family heirlooms that you’d rather have on you for safety’s sake. Place them neatly in a travel jewelry roll and keep it on you in your bag on the day of the move.
Now that you’ve got all your packing supplies in place, it's time to get down to the task itself. Your organization comes into play here as you can go about packing them one by one, type by type.
The main danger with necklaces is their tendency to get horribly entangled, which can even spoil their quality. Bracelets and anklets have the same problem, as well as the clasps coming out of place. But with our packing guide you should do just fine.
Drinking straw: This method works well for thin, fine necklaces and bracelets, as well as anklets. Grab a straw and send one end through it. Clasp it, and you have the perfect way to keep it separate from all the others. Make sure you clip your straw to the ideal size to fit your necklace, bracelet or anklet snugly.
Kitchen paper roll: Longer, thicker and chunkier necklaces with lots of beads or strings won’t fit in a straw. In this case, use a kitchen paper roll. You can also opt for a toilet paper roll if these ones prove to be too long, and for your bracelets and anklets that are generally smaller in size.
Wrapping paper: Once your pieces are individually secured, it’s time to secure them together. Secure each of them in wrapping paper - this prevents impact damage from when your jewelry gets jostled around by reducing the free, moving space between them. If you don’t have wrapping paper, use plastic sheets or saran wrap instead. You can also use bubble wrap, but keep in mind that this adds a fair amount of bulk to your items.
Fastening item: Fetch the rubber bands to hold the straws and rolls together. Alternatively, you can also use a zip tie, but make sure you don’t leave out any items as a zip tie fastens all too firmly. Also make sure it isn’t too tight, and that the loose end isn’t too long or obstructive.
Ziploc bag: Time to place your items in a ziploc bag and seal it firmly. You can also fasten the mouth of the bag with a strip of tape to ensure it remains firmly shut and won’t accidentally open.
Earrings have an uncanny way of getting muddled up. When packing earrings for a move, there’s two main concerns you’re dealing with - keeping the pairs together and preventing tangling and loss.
Cardboard - Cut the cardboard into several rectangles, around 2x2 inches depending on the size of the earrings. Pierce your earring through and fasten the back with tape. If these are long, chandelier earrings, use a bit of fastening wire or twistees to fasten the earring to the strip to prevent entangling and bending. This method works for hook/loop earrings.
Once this is done, wrap each pair in wrapping paper and give it a bit of tape to fasten the paper on. You can wrap all together in saran wrap and place them in a ziploc bag. As an alternative to cardboard pieces, you can also use business cards. Just ensure the paper is a bit stiff, and not loose or flimsy.
A foam sheet - If you have a few loop earrings, grab hold of a foam sheet that still has the foam fairly intact. Pierce your earring through the sheet and fasten the back with a piece of tape. Once done, secure the sheet with saran wrap and give it a coat of wrapping paper. Place the sheet flat, and ensure it doesn’t go under anything when being packed. Do not use this method if there are a lot of earrings as it is difficult to pack up an entire sheet of foam.
Buttons - Buttons are also a possibility, and a simple and cheap one at that. You can hook your earrings through and fasten them with fixing wire. These can be individually wrapped up in wrapping paper, grouped together with saran wrap and packed into a properly sized ziploc bag.
Pill organizers - Stud earrings can easily open up if you try to fix them onto cardboard or foam sheets. There’s no better alternative than to place them in daily/weekly pill organizers. Gently wrap each individual piece in a bit of wrapping paper, placing the pair into a slot on the pill organizer. Ensure the lids of the individual slots are firmly fixed. Wrap the entire pill organizer with some layers of saran wrap or wrapping paper.
These dainty bits of jewelry are sometimes the most cherished possessions and heirlooms. The biggest fear? Losing them in all the chaos and confusion of a move! Read on to know a few ways to securely pack your rings up.
Egg carton - Surprised? Don’t be! This is a surprisingly tried-and-tested method to securely pack your rings for a move. Grab a hold of a clean and sturdy egg carton. Wrap each individual ring in a bit of wrapping paper. Then place it in one of the cups of the carton. Similar rings can be packed in one cup, as can your earrings! Lay a thin sheet of paper on the top of these before fastening the cover of the carton.Finally, secure the carton with a bit of wrapping paper or bubble wrap.
Pill Organizers - Just as they work for earrings, pill organizers make for great mini compartments for your rings as well.
Fixing wire - If for whatever reason you’re looking for a way to keep rings together, grab hold of some twistees or fixing wire. Use these to loop two or three similar rings together, and then place them in either of the above listed containers after they’re wrapped in wrapping paper.
Hard sunglasses/spectacles case - You can also use a hard sunglasses case if you can’t get a hold of the above items. First, line the case with some wrapping paper or bubble wrap. Follow the method to securely wrap each ring, then place them in the case. Finally, stuff up whatever space remains with some more wrapping paper and shut the lid, fastening it securely with some tape. Wrap this up in saran wrap and you’re good to go.
There’s always some more help to be offered, and we’re always here to offer it! Our additional tips aren’t necessities, but it can sure go a long way if followed.
Jewelry Box - As the name suggests, a jewelry box is made specially to store fragile, high quality items like your jewelry. These boxes are lined on the inside with a soft cloth, meant to act as padding. The outside is made of wood or metal - both sturdy materials intended to keep the contents safe and secure. The lids fasten on well, and are not prone to slipping or breaking open. You can switch out the ziploc bags for a quality jewelry box or two. Ensure your bag for moving day can take the bulkiness, and you’re good to go.
Transporting your jewelry - Several movers just flat-out refuse to transport items of high value. This is something you will have to ask your movers about in advance if you intend on leaving the responsibility to them. Our advice? Keep it on you at all times. You’re likely to have a backpack or a big handbag on you on moving day. This is where your jewelry should be.
False labelling the boxes - If you’re leaving your box of jewelry in the hands of the movers, you’d naturally be a little worried. A sneaky trick you can pull is to mis-label the box. Instead of naming it something evident like ‘Valuables’ or ‘Important’, go for something absurd and completely unimportant, like ‘Bathroom essentials’. This doesn’t attract any unwanted attention to the box. Just make sure while unpacking that you remember the true contents of the box!
Unpacking - Do not unpack your jewelry when things around you are in disarray. Keep the jewelry box or ziploc bags in an allotted, safe corner till you can open them. Save time just for this so you can painstakingly undo each bit of tape and wrapping paper. As you unpack, lay them out to compare to your inventory photo just for peace of mind. Check for any possible damage - get them fixed and cleaned if need be.
Conclusion
As stressful as it seems, packing jewelry is just one of the detailed aspects of a move. There’s a lot more detail to be heeded, especially when choosing the right kind of mover as this can make or break moving day for you. 9Kilo Moving's comprehensive service is there to make sure you’re fitted with the perfect movers for your move, whether down the lane or across the country.
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