One of the more notable trends in jewelry ownership nowadays is the increasing preference for storing jewelry in a jewelry armoire rather than in the jewelry boxes of times past. This development actually makes perfect sense, as a jewelry armoire presents a number of clear advantages over the previously popular methods of storage.
If you have the time, take a look at a few typical jewelry boxes, such as the ones that are usually sold in department stores or even the more high-end jewelry stores. You will notice that many of them are designed to hold all of your pieces of jewelry in one single compartment. Now this in itself is definitely not a good idea for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it exposes your most fragile and delicate pieces to scuffs, scratches and breakage.
A jewelry armoire on the other hand will have several compartments where you can place your individual pieces in their own little space, out of harm’s way from each other. This will greatly minimize the incidences of scratches and breakage that can result with pieces coming into contact with one another.
A lot of jewelry by their very nature is extremely vulnerable to the slightest impact or scrape. On the whole, they are simply not designed to be thrown around in a box where they can (and often will) come into rough contact with other pieces. Storing your valuable pieces in this manner will quickly result in unsightly scratches and wear, as you will soon see for yourself. Needless to say, this will not bode well for the future value of your once immaculate pieces of jewelry. You may be surprised to find that after enduring several years of such treatment, your valuable pieces will be assessed at a much lower value than you have expected.
Some of your pieces will be particularly sensitive to damage or at least smudging or markings–caused by exposure to the elements. This is often the case with jewelry that is primarily made of gold. For this reason, it is simply not a good idea to leave them out in the open for long periods of time, where they can fall prey to the effects of sunlight and oxidation. Again this is where jewelry armoire can be a lifesaver as far as preserving the beauty and integrity of your jewels are concerned. A jewelry armoire provides the ideal storage space for your most valuable possessions until you wish to use them again.
A final word of advice regarding the use of jewelry armoires: as well protected as your jewels will be, they are still prone to some damage from elements that you may not see at all. This comes in the form of perfumes, cosmetics, creams and even body oils that you deposit each time you wear them. For this reason it is important that you wipe them down thoroughly–but gently–before placing them in an armoire. This way you can ensure that your jewelry retains their sparkle and vibrancy for as long as possible.