DIY Jewelry Organizers: 13 Ways to Untangle Your Necklaces, Bracelets, and Rings

By Alexandra Churchill of Martha Stewart Living

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The next time you're getting ready, prevent the all-too-familiar hunt for accessories by recreating one of our DIY jewelry organizers. Not only will they keep your jewelry organized and neatly stored away, they're even pretty themselves.

Photography: Aaron Dyer

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Spool Rack

Keep your necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in fine order (instead of a fine mess) by repurposing an old spool rack. Where the individual spokes typically store sewing thread, they hold your necklaces and bangles. Mount the rack to a wall, or set one with legs on a vanity.

Mini Mega Rack II (similar to shown), by June Tailor, $20, amazon.com
Thin beaded glass-and-gold necklaces (similar to shown), by Debbie Fisher, from $88, abchome.com
Photography: Anusha Rajeswaran

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Wooden Stud Earring Holders

Keep your collected pairs within easy reach! This is both a simple jewelry organizer and a pretty addition to your vanity table, all in one triangular package. Better yet, they can be custom-made in any size, design, or color of your choice.

Get the Wooden Stud Earring Holders How-To
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Painter's Palette

Ceramic watercolor palettes provide perfect slots for sorting and separating earrings and other jewelry -- with no tangles! Available at art-supply stores, they make delightful displays on dressers when filled with colorful gems. They're also small enough to tuck in a drawer.

10-Well Slate Porcelain Palette, $12, fineartstore.com
Photography: Raymond Hom

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Shadow Box

Some bits and baubles are just too pretty to put away at the end of the day. A shadow box outfitted with tiny hooks will keep your favorite pieces within reach while giving it a stylish display that is only fitting for these wearable pieces of art.

Get the Shadow Box Jewelry Holder How-To
Photography: Aaron Dyer

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Branches

A bundle of branches -- coated in a bright spray paint color -- is a nature lover's answer to jewelry organization. Forage in the backyard for a few sturdy sticks and assemble together for a jewelry stand that makes quite a statement.

Get the Nature-Inspired Jewelry Stand How-To
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Photography: Anusha Rajeswaran

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Scalloped Clay Jewelry Dishes

Rings, necklaces, earrings, even keys and coins — these little beauties will serve as catch-alls for it all. The clay dishes come with a pretty scalloped edge and decorative stick-on motif.

Get the Scalloped Clay Jewelry Dishes How-To
Photography: Bryan Gardner

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Stacking Trays

No more junk drawer! This DIY alternative keeps your baubles shining and easy to spot at a glance. Fit acrylic containers of various sizes into a drawer and for added luxury, consider lining the bottom with gold foil paper.

Metallic foil paper, by Hygloss, in Gold Foil, $15 for 25', dickblick.com

Stacking acrylic trays, from $6 each, containerstore.com
Photography: Burcu Avsar

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Dowel Hanger

A thin wooden dowel mounted inside a closet or cabinet door using cup hooks is the foundation of a simply chic jewelry hanger. Coat the dowel with semigloss paint. Suspend S hooks from the rod (the texture of the dried semigloss paint will help keep the hooks from sliding), and hang necklaces -- and bracelets and rings, if you like -- from the hooks for dazzling order.
Photography: Mike Krautter

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Ceramic Dishes

Looking for a decidedly modern idea that showcases your DIY skills? Not only does a set of hand-painted jewelry dishes look pretty when arranged on your dresser or nightstand, they exude your personal style when mixed and matched with your favorite colors or designs.

Get the Hand-Painted Jewelry Dishes How-To
Photography: Laura Moss

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Mounted Chest

You have a jewelry chest, but did you ever consider mounting it up high? A cabinet with doors like this one keeps your favorite pieces safely tucked away and out of sight until you're ready to wear them.

Get the Jewelry Cabinet How-To
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Teacups

Teacups are for more than just an afternoon brew -- they also make for exceptionally cute containers for your necklaces, earrings and bracelets. (Plus, they fit rather neatly into drawers.)

Get the Teacup Jewelry Storage Ideas
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Lidless Box

Here's a space-saving trick: Opt for an open-face box that you can mount right onto the wall. When a shadow box is unavailable, any well-chosen crate, bin, or orphaned drawer can be retrofitted with a variety of hooks and knobs, turning your earrings and chains into objets d'art. Small decorative bowls perched on the box's lower ledge corral rings, pins, and brooches and complete the charming trinket tableau.
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Portrait Frame

The secret to this idea? When lined with velvet backing, this portrait frame is just as stunning as it is safe for your most prized pieces.

Get the Portrait Frame How-To

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