How to Pack Jewellery for Moving

By David Green

Updated: Mar 5, 2020

5 min read

Fact-checked by Martin Panayotov

Reviewer & editor

Moving house is all about making the right decisions at the right time. Sometimes you can have several months to get comfortably ready for your house moving adventure, while at times all you will have left is a few weeks to take care of the large number of moving related tasks found in your relocation calendar. Yes, emergency moves are really tough to organize and execute properly, but even insufficient time should not be a good reason to put your prized possessions at risk.

To help you speed up your packing process (by far the most time-consuming job in your moving calendar), this time we’ve decided to offer you quick and efficient tips on how to pack your jewellery for a move. No matter how pressed for time you may be, your valuable jewellery pieces must not get harmed, damaged or lost during the process of moving from Point A (your current home) to Point B (your new house or flat).

And to make sure that no piece gets tangled, broken or misplaced, read on the best advice on how to pack jewellery for moving.

What to know and do before packing your jewellery for shipping

The first thing you need to remember when packing jewellery is that you can’t just throw your valuable pieces into a moving box and expect things to be just fine. Jewellery pieces are relatively small, extremely fragile and characteristically delicate, so proper preparation for their safe relocation is always a must. Luckily for you, we will give you various standard and unusual jewellery packing tips, protective measures and moving options, so that ultimately you can decide for yourself which relocation method will best work in your case.

But before we move on to the actual jewellery packing advice, here are a couple of preparation steps which will get you ready for the safe and efficient packing procedure ahead.

Sort out your jewellery pieces

How to sort jewelry pieces — Sometimes sorting out your jewellery pieces could prove to be a challenge in itself.

Before you get down to packing up your jewellery for moving, try to find some time to go through all your previous ornaments and see if there are any pieces that are not really worth the packing efforts.

When it comes to packing and protecting such small possessions for your upcoming relocation, it’s not really about the space they will take but rather about the time you will spend on their proper organization and preparation.

Place a large clean sheet of paper on a flat and hard surface /any table in your home should do just find/ and arrange all your favorite pieces on it. To facilitate the packing process later on, sort out the jewellery you own by type and size.

Also, optimize your collection by removing any broken pieces with no sentimental value or cheap ones that you will never wear again due to various reasons – fashion trends, change in taste and preferences, etc. Consider giving away to a close friend any jewellery that’s still in good condition but you have no plans whatsoever to use again.

Procure required packing materials

Of course, you won’t be able to pack your jewellery safely without the necessary packing supplies. Some of the protective materials are pretty standard while others are strikingly unusual, but still easy to find.

Soft packing paper. If you want to make sure your ornaments reach your new home safe and sound, you’re going to need white packing paper much more often than you think. Avoid newsprint as the ink can easily ruin a delicate jewellery piece forever.
Bubble wrap. Probably the most useful packing material for your more fragile pieces as far as impact and shock protection is concerned.
Plastic wrap. Also known as stretch tape, a single roll of plastic wrap can do miracles in keeping your jewellery pieces intact during the move.
Jewellery box. If you own a high quality jewellery box, then the packing process will be a breeze. However, you’re still going to have to make sure that your valuables AND your protective box stay intact during transportation.
Re-sealable plastic bags /Ziploc bags/. These plastic containers will do a great job keeping your smaller pieces together.
Index cards/cardboard cards. Gather your no longer usable index cards or cut out cardboard cards with roughly the size of a bank card. Read on to learn what these cards can do for your precious earrings.
Toilet paper rolls. Empty and clean paper rolls are very easy to obtain and surprisingly useful when protecting larger necklaces and bracelets on the move.
Drinking straws. Straws present a truly innovative way of keeping your long chained jewellery pieces untangled during the house move. See more details below.
Egg cartons are practical moving containers for your homemade jewellery pieces.

Egg cartons. Yes, using egg cartons is a very interesting jewellery transportation idea which has been proven to keep larger rings and earrings pretty safe while the latter are being transported from one home to another.
Sunglasses cases. It’s best if you have one or two hard sunglasses cases to protect your most fragile pieces, but it’s perfectly fine if you don’t either because of the other good ways to pack jewellery for shipping.
Pill organizers. Day-of-the-week pill organizers can be easily transformed into jewellery organizers. Read on to find how it’s done.
Rubber bands. Inexpensive rubber bands will help you fasten your tiny wrapped up bundles and keep them from opening up during transport.
Packing tape. Just make sure you don’t use tape directly onto jewellery pieces as that could damage their delicate surfaces.

Keep your jewellery close by

The final thing you should know before packing your jewellery safely for a move is that the transportation of your valuables rests with you. Don’t make the mistake of handing them over your removal company regardless of how reputable the removals are. Pack your decorative pieces separately from the rest of the belongings that are going to be loaded onto the moving van and keep a watchful eye on your valuables at all times. Of course, the best option is to transport your jewellery in your own vehicle or fly with them to your new home. However, if that’s just not a viable option for some reason or another, then speak with your removal firm about purchasing an additional adequate insurance for your valuable items.

How to pack jewellery for moving

When packing jewellery for moving, you need a good systematic approach that will ensure that your precious pieces stay perfectly safe regardless of how rough the actual transportation turns out to be. If you devote enough time and efforts into wrapping your delicate valuables properly, then you won’t need to worry about the condition you will find them in when the unpacking period begins shortly upon your arrival in your new home.

Apply the main principles of our jewellery packing system for lowered levels of relocation stress and increased peace of mind.

Necklaces / Bracelets

The major concern when moving necklaces with long chains and chain bracelets is the genuine possibility of entanglement and consequent breakage. Needless to say, these two unfortunate scenarios should and can be avoided through proper jewellery packing techniques.

It’s rarely a good idea to just place your valuables into the jewellery box without protecting them first.

Step 1: The very first step is to protect the chains of your favorite necklaces and bracelets. Simply take a standard drinking straw in your hand, cut it (if necessary) with a pair of scissors to match the length of the chain you’re about to protect, slip one half of the chain in question through the straw and clasp it shut.
Step 2: For necklaces and bracelets with thicker chains that refuse to go through straws, use clean toilet/kitchen paper rolls.
Step 3: Now that the chain won’t tangle in itself, use plastic wrap to fix it in place and then wrap the entire piece carefully with packing paper to protect it against harmful outside influences. If the chained necklace or bracelet is extremely delicate, consider using bubble wrap instead of thin plastic wrap.
Step 4: You need to make sure the wrapped bundles won’t get open while on the road so use tape over the packing paper or rubber bands to secure each individual package.
Step 5: It’s best to arrange your protected pieces into a jewellery box, but if you don’t own one, small plastic re-sealable bags should do the trick as a final level of protection, including from moisture.

Earrings

Earrings are rather delicate and finding them entangled or hooked together will usually be the least of your worries. The extra fragile stones and thin hooks are much more prone to damage when moving to another home, so safe jewellery packing steps are required.

Step 1: You can use bank card sized cardboard pieces or ready index cards to safeguard your long earrings during the house move. Using a pin or a needle, poke a couple of holes into the card, attach one pair of your earrings by inserting the hooks trough the tiny openings and tape the hooks on the back to keep them from falling off. Then, wrap the entanglement-proof pair with packing paper or bubble wrap, tape it shut and place it into a suitable carrier.
Step 2: Smaller earrings and stud earrings will be perfectly safe inside pill organizers, hard sunglasses cases or re-sealable plastic bags. However, individual paired packing is still a must before they can be placed in their final moving containers.
Step 3: Similar to smaller rings, earrings are very easy to be misplaced or lost due to their usually tiny size. Keep this in mind when packing jewellery for a move.

Rings

Some rings look totally indestructible while others can be extremely delicate and prone to damage (usually the ones with stones).

If you own the One Ring, don’t waste your time packing it safely as it cannot be destroyed. Unless, of course, your moving route passes too close to Mount Doom.

Step 1: Wrap each ring you own in extra soft packing paper or in a small patch of bubble wrap.
Step 2: Tape well the small bundle to avoid its accidental opening during the move.
Step 3: You are welcome to use a bit unusual ring recipient to store your assorted rings – an egg carton. Having made sure that the latter is totally clean and in good overall condition, place each bundled ring into an individual egg carton cup or place several smaller ones into one compartment. When you’re done arranging your rings, lay some cotton or small pieces of packing paper on top of each cup and wrap the entire carton with plastic wrap to keep the jewellery pieces in place.
Step 4: If you own a hard case from (sun)glasses and you don’t currently need it, then you can use it efficiently to store your rings while on the road. Don’t forget to pack your pieces using steps 1 and 2 before placing them into the hard cover case.
Step 5: Pill organizers will also serve as a good ring carrier for you, especially for your smaller pieces. Again, make sure they are well protected with packing paper or bubble wrap.

What to know and do when unpacking your jewellery after the move

If you follow the practical jewelry packing tips above, the chances of finding your precious pieces in a cobweb-like tangled mess are very slim. But absolutely anything can happen during a residential move so if you do find your jewelry pieces in a critical state, take a pin and do your best to untangle the delicate ornaments on your own. If you feel uneasy to do it by yourself or you fail to do it, consider taking the unfortunate piece to a jewellery shop to be fixed. Also, do the same in the unlikely event of a broken piece that means a lot to you.

While the above tips for packing jewellery safely have been proven to work, your best bet to avoid headaches is still the sensible option of investing in a high quality jewellery box and moving all of your valuable and lovely jewellery pieces in it (after wrapping them properly, of course).

Oh, one last piece of advice – if you do the right thing and purchase a jewellery box, make a mental note to wrap and protect that same jewellery-filled box as well.

How to Pack Jewellery for Moving