Regardless of your level of selling experience, you have probably ran into problems when storing jewelry. There’s nothing worse than finally selling that gorgeous piece for $85, then, when you go to ship it you discover it’s rusty! EEEK!! Here’s everything you need to know:

Storing jewelry is a simple task if you realize it is in almost the identical category as storing body care! In fact, you can store both of these types of inventory in the identical area! If you haven’t read our article, How to Shelve and Store Perfume and Body Care, make sure you check it out! Here’s the 411 on jewelry:

TARNISH WILL “TARNISH” YOUR FEEDBACK! Did you know that ALL jewelry can tarnish? Most people assume this only happens to sterling silver, but this isn’t true. Tarnish is caused by a variety of things including the metal reacting to open air Thank goodness for the internet because you can completely prevent tarnish by purchasing “Tarnish Free Bags”. These are fully REUSABLE, so there is no need to ship your buyer the bag. Simple remove the bling from the bag and ship it:

HUMIDITY IS EVIL!!! Just like with Body Care, humidity is the enemy! But, this is a super simple fix:

You absolutely should get this cheap, but awesome temperature-and-humidity gauge:

I use these in our warehouses in addition to all of our pets habitats and I have bought many (the white one is absolutely the best):

Often humans can’t really “tell” if it’s too humid or too warm because we don’t have the weather instincts that animals have. BUT a snazzy little gauge like the one shown above gives you all the details you need. WHEN STORING JEWELRY, AIM FOR LOW HUMIDITY! AS LOW AS POSSIBLE!!! If you live in a state like Arizona or New Mexico, you likely will not have to go through this effort but if you are like us and live in Michigan or a state with a lot of water you absolutely need to pick up a humidity gauge and find out.

If you are storing items in a humid state or in your basement, you should consider a dehumidifier if needed:

but don’t buy one until you first purchase the gauge. You may discover you don’t need to buy anything at all, let alone pay to run it! Regardless of what your gauge results are, fasten the gauge to your wall, in the center of the storage area, and keep it on 24/7. Monitor the results as the seasons change AND be sure to look at humidity levels AT NIGHT. Typically humidity increases when the sun goes down, so if you do need a dehumidifier, but you only need it at night, grab one of these amazing super-cheap timers so it turns on-and-off on it’s own. I love these things:.

PREVENT TANGLES! The absolute easiest way ever to prevent jewelry from tangling is to use a simple piece of tissue paper. Slide the tissue in between the item, then roll up and add a super tiny piece of tape, then place inside the Tarnish-Free Bag.

When the item sells, remove it from the Tarnish Free Bag, but keep it wrapped in the tissue so it does not arrive tangled.

There is no reason to waste money on full size pieces of tissue paper. 8x11 sheets will be plenty substantial!