How To Pack Jewellery For Travel: Protect The Sparkle On The Road

How to pack jewellery for travel is an important question when travelling with a fashion guru or simply one who wants amazing photos on the trip. These accessories can be the key elements to upgrade an entire look.

Though packing them to travel can be delicate work due to their sizes and fragility, it is not terribly difficult. As long as you know what to do with each, you will be fine with the sparkling pieces of your favourite jewellery.

So what are the tips? How to get them organised in the simplest way possible? Let’s find out in this article!

Summary

For those who want to know everything at first glance, here’s all you need to know about this matter:

• Don’t bring more than you need: 3-4 pieces are the magic number
• Put your treasures in travel jewellery cases and travel-sized containers, enclosed in bubble wrap
• You can carry your jewellery through the TSA trouble-free unless they are bulky and made of heavy metal content
• Always put them in your carry-on, checking them in is risky
• That said, carrying them as personal items is even safer
• Leave anything expensive or meaningful at home
• Make a checklist or take pictures of your collection
• Wearing them all the time is also an option.

Get Them Organised

Travel jewellery boxes are a classic and surefire way to protect your beloved jewellery on the go. Photo by Jessica - stock.adobe.com

The key to preserving your jewelry when travelling is to organise them carefully. Different kinds of jewellery need different kinds of packing due to the various designs. Travel jewellery cases and jewellery rolls are the go-to choices for everyone.

Wondering which travel jewellery cases to get? Here are some of our recommendations. They are the tried and true organisers that are gentle on your treasures.

• Becko Jewellery Organiser Roll
• Plush Velvet Travel Jewelry Box
• Travel Jewelry Wallet

Other creative/DIY ways to store your jewellery:

• Altoids or Tic Tacs tins
• Buttons for organing earrings
• Carabiners
• Classes case
• Cling Wrap
• Contact lens case
• Drinking straws for necklaces
• Microfiber cloth (to roll necklaces)
• Pill case
• Travel toiletry containers
• Washcloth
• Ziploc Bags
• Zippered pouches.

You can use packing cubes or small zip bags to separate each type. There are also travel jewelry cases to help you keep your pieces attached on the trip. If you bring along small earrings or rings, you can place them in your pill organiser to avoid losing them. 

Long items like necklaces or bracelets should be kept in individual cases, or else they will easily get tangled with each other. On the other hand, rings and small earrings can be put together to save space. Unless you bring a lot of them, they can easily be found in pairs.

Packing jewellery for travel seems like a hassle. There is actually a way you can avoid all this hard work, which is to wear them all from the beginning!

Though it may sound unfashionable, there is a high chance that it will work with your rings. And if you have a certainly linked concept or colour palette, then your bracelets and necklaces can work with each other as well.

Small Tips For Each Kind Of Jewelry

Packing jewellery for travel can require certain details, especially for those that are easy to get tangled or lost. When packing different kinds of jewellery, there are different tips you can apply to.

Here’s a tip: Once secured, throw everything, your necklaces, earrings, and rings, into a travel porch. Include several alcohol wipes to wash them before wearing once you take them out of the bag.

How To Pack Necklaces For Travel

To look pretty at the destination is to pack accordingly. Photo by Victoria Chudinova - stock.adobe.com

Necklaces are the trickiest to pack because of their length. If you simply round them up and toss them into your pack, they can be messed up and hard to detangle once you get them out.

A useful and common tip is to put them through a straw. You can thread one side of the lace in the straw and close the clasp. You should use straws that have the same length as the necklaces to lessen the chance they twist together.

Another way to store your necklaces is to use a mesh fabric. You can loop your necklaces through the fabric and then roll them up to save space. You should choose fabrics with small holes and keep the necklaces distant from each other.

If your necklaces have big laces or details, you can put them in separate zip bags. This style of necklace is not likely to tangle itself. However, make sure these ones are not fragile, or else you should add a layer of bubble wrap.

How To Pack Earrings For Travel

The most important thing to remember about packing earrings for travel is to keep them in pairs. Of course, this is unless you bring a stylish piece explicitly designed to be worn on one side.

You can keep your earrings in pill boxes or small bags. You can also pierce them through a button and collect them in a compartment. In case you don’t want them to bump into each other, you can pierce them through a fabric or a towel and wrap them up.

However, with bud earrings, we suggest you put them in bags or cases. Their clasps can get stuck in other things, tearing themselves apart and getting lost easily due to their small sizes.

All great memories start with a great planning and packing. Photo by lublubachka - stock.adobe.com

For those attached with small gemstones, you should put them in bags as well. But remember to cover them with bubble wrap to avoid impact. The stones can fall out during the bumpy transport. Keeping them in bags can preserve the stones, and you can attach them back later.

How To Pack Rings For Travel

Packing rings for travel is child’s play compared to others. You can pack them all in a zip bag if they are not easily scratched. Though if you want to keep them separately, you can also put them in pill boxes. Pierce them through a scarf or lace is also a convenient way to organise your rings.

Plan Your Pieces Ahead

Choose suitable accessories for your clothes and activities. Photo by New Africa - stock.adobe.com

The most important thing when packing for your trip is always planning. You should pick out your needed jewellery after deciding on the concept and clothes you will use when travelling. 

To save space and effort, go for those that are easy to mix with various clothes. Neutral pieces like a small hoop or stud earrings are a good option. Need some inspiration? Here are our picks for something that will complement even the most basic outfits:

• By Alona’s Naia necklace
• Marc Jacobs Medallion Pendant
• Rachel Boston’s Adversus cuff

However, we suggest that for each type of jewellery, such as necklace, ring, bracelet, etc., you should only pick one to two pieces that can be used flexibly. In total, don’t bring more than three to four treasures.

While choosing what to bring along, don’t forget to consider the transportation you will use, the activities you will join and even the environment of the destination. This can affect the designs and the material of the jewelry you should bring.

For example, if you are going to travel by plane or simply very far from your current place, it is best to leave fragile jewellery at home. You shouldn’t choose those made of glass, gemstones, etc. Instead, go for those that are made of metal.

If you intend to travel somewhere hot, you should avoid costume jewellery. The reason is that sweat can wash off the coating easily, causing your jewellery to become rusty. Even silver or gold jewellery can also be affected. But their durability is higher than the costume ones.

If you are going for a swim or participating in vigorous sports, pick those that have tight pins that are hard to fall out. You don’t want to lose your favourite earrings due to the strong wave or your necklace dropped after a bungee jump. Or better yet, remove them before you swim.

Protect Them In Your Luggage

You should consider their fragility before packing them. Photo by New Africa - stock.adobe.com

Surround them with bundles of your clothes. This will act as a natural shock absorber to prevent damage to your precious accessories during transport. It would be best if you didn't keep them in the outside pockets because it is easier to impact.

Get some bubble wrap and cover them around your jewellery box. Though if you decide to use travel jewellery cases, they already have cushions to protect your accessories. But you don’t want the box itself to be broken. 

Put your jewellery in a small compartment of your bag. You can skip the step above and do this. However, it only applies to fragile jewellery with special designs or gemstones. Most accessories normally do not easily bend or break. Ideally, it should be inter rather than outer compartments.

Always keep them in your hand luggage. You don’t want your expensive jewellery to be pickpocketed or simply go missing. Carry-on luggage is considered safer than checked luggage because it is less likely to be lost, and you can check it out every time.

CabinZero tips: Want to perk up your look but don’t know where to start? The Vogue Resort Wear Shop can help you. You don’t want to miss a selection of buys hand-picked by the Vogue editors themselves.

Travelling With Jewelry And TSA Regulations

We know you’re excited to looking all dazzling and sassy at the destination. But first, can your favourite statement necklace come with you through the TSA? The good news is it is. Jewellery is generally allowed in carry-on bags with no packing requirements. 

@tabeyta15 Most jewelry doesn't require removal for screening. If it does cause an alarm on our screening technology, a pat-down or removal may be required. For more info, please see: https://t.co/zUmIEFu1ri

— AskTSA (@AskTSA) June 1, 2023

No, you don’t have to.

Do you need to remove jewellery to go through the TSA? You can go through security without removing your rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or watches. That said, anything with high metal content and bulky might not get as easily a pass. Anything that appears protruding from your body on the X-ray scan is a red flag (for the officers), and you might get a pat-down.

Safety

You can wear them all from the beginning of the trip to avoid having to pack them. Photo by Segal Jewelry on Unsplash

We also suggest not bringing expensive jewellery or anything with significant sentimental value. Many people have a travel ring dedicated to going on a trip. Certainly, you will want to look your best on a trip or in a photo. But in the worst-case scenarios, you won’t feel as sad when you lose these pieces.

If leaving something valuable (say, an Engagement Ring for a surprise proposal) at home is not an option, then we recommend getting jewellery Insurance. Jewelers Mutual is one of the most popular insurance groups in this regard if you want to take a look.

Another good piece of advice is to take pictures of everything. That way, you don’t have to fumble around to find what you are looking for. Just look at the pictures and find them. It’s a foolproof way not to forget anything (and also good for claiming insurance sometimes).

The most crucial part when travelling is to enjoy the trip. No need to spend too much time worrying or sulting over some precious jewelry when you have plenty of other options to choose from.

Be Confident To Shine!

We hope this article has brought some informative solutions to help you with the question of how to pack jewellery for travel. There are certain things to remember with these precious little babies, but your gorgeous look will be worth it. So allow them to help you shine even more!

Claire Thuc