To further protect your jewelry, you can find anti-tarnish tissue at the hardware store or craft store. Many craft or fabric stores have anti-tarnish cloth or anti-tarnish strips that you can cut up to line your jewelry box or make small pouches out of. Silica gel packets also help reduce the humidity inside the box. You can find these at camera stores, electronics stores, and some craft stores. You’ll probably also find them inside shoe boxes, shipped packages, and many other purchases. Just toss them in the box instead of the trash and replace old packets with new ones as you receive them.

When placing jewelry in the box, be careful that tarnished jewelry doesn’t touch clean jewelry. It’s best to put each piece of silver jewelry in a separate compartment to keep it clean.

Placing silver jewelry in separate compartments not only prevents tarnish, it protects the soft metal from nicks and scratches. If possible, put every piece of jewelry into a separate compartment, or at least keep those pieces with sharp edges away from the others. Sharp edges can scratch gemstones and other soft metals.

Necklaces and loose bracelets are notorious for becoming tangled and knotted. To prevent this, make sure each necklace or bracelet is firmly clasped before putting it in the box. Either hang them from hooks inside the box or lay them flat in a single layer inside a drawer. Never stack delicate necklaces on top of each other.

A lock can prevent your jewelry from disappearing if you have small children and your jewelry box is within their reach. Overly curious cats can also pose a danger to your jewelry. When choosing a box with a locking latch, make sure the lock fits snugly, but isn’t hard to release. The key to the lock, whether it’s a latch or a different type of lock, should turn easily and slide out without tugging.

If you value your jewelry, keep it in a jewelry box. It could become tarnished, scratched, broken, or even lost if left lying on the dresser. ________________________________________________________________________________