Safely Packing Your Jewelry For Travel

A Week or so after I arrived home from teaching in Tucson at the Create Your Style  with Crystallized-Swarovski Elements, I recieved an email from a student who needed a few extra parts because her necklace had gotten somewhat smashed or broken in her luggage as she traveled home.  Now, I have to admit, that there was a time that I would just toss a bunch of necklaces and bracelets in a little box or bag and thow it in my carry on and then in a drawer in my hotel room  because the chains and bracelets would tangle up a bit and I would have to spend time untangling and swearing to myself, that I would not do that again !! but next time I end up doing the same thing all over again This gave me an idea of this blog post as many of us travel from time to time, sell our products, enter design competitions or submit designs to various puplications

 Packing Idea #1

cloth baby diapers :a great simple product to pack basic bracelets and necklaces (I buy the nice thick type and wash them ) lay your pieces accoss the short way for bracelets, and long for necklaces and roll the cloth over them to protect them from tangling up and scratching. 1 cloth can hold about 4-6 bracelets. (I use a soft cloth rather than a stiff type or plastic because it holds on to the jewelry better. ) Once you have all your rolls you can lay them in your carry on, or if you are more cautious or rough like me, Get a plastic or paper container and place your rolls in the box then pack into your luggage, when you arrive, simply roll open and view you pieces and quickly roll back up! no tangles no stress. no individule bags to open! I even store them rolled in drawers at home so I can just quickly choose them or pack them

Packing Idea #2   Pieces that are dimensional or large

glamourous jewelry are usually made with bigger crystal pieces, or lots of little pieces made into a something fabulous, this brings another challange to packing. if you just place your piece into a box, chances are, it will smash and break.or shift around and scratch.    I usually wrap each bracelet or neckalce etc.  with eaither bubble wrap, or a soft baby diapers and place  individaully into a hard box .

Packing Idea #3   for design competions or publication submissions or selling and display

we have seen it many times where there is a beautiful jewelry piece and the pieces are sratched or even broken, and something has broken off and more times then not, the reason may be in the packing...  Imagine, the piece that you have spent countless hours with your heart and soul designing and constructing being shipped hundreds if not thousands of miles away, you want to protect them like you would your own child. 

Take a heavy board of some type like cardboard and fasten your design onto the board with anything like, ribbon, wire, pins etc. (you may have to fasten in several areas. then wrap over entire board and jewelry with bubble wrap and even saran wrap.

if you  have dangling pendants it would be a good idea to indiviually wrap each piece with tissue paper or bubble wrap. this prevents the possibility of shifting and smashing or scratching, Ithen take your shipping box, and fill a bit of foam packing peanuts  place your board, and fill the balance of box with packing peanuts. the help to absorb the shock and imapct if box is thrown or dropped.  (handle with care) stamped means nothing! 

I hope these tips will help you in your next packing. good luck a nd safe travels.