Jewelry – Wearing What Defines YOU – Day 7

In efforts to live with less and pare down when it comes to EVERYTHING I own, I have come to grips with some very deep truths about myself. Well okay, maybe not “deep” truths, but realizations that:

I am never going to be what I think I might be someday.

Let me explain. I used to make jewelry. I used to love making jewelry! I thought if I made the jewelry myself, that I would wear it more often. Absolutely not. Boy was I wrong. Of course it never turned out exactly how I wanted it to, though it really had to be good enough. I am now how many years later in life, and still do not wear much jewelry.

After having my daughter, I thought it would be fun to get stylish teething necklaces, thinking I would then be a jewelry wearer. I bought one, and though it was comfortable and fun to wear, my daughter never really chewed on it. Another idea out the window.

In other words, I am never going to be a jewelry wearer, like I thought I would eventually be someday.

In that regards, it is time for me to just move on from thinking that I will wear it someday and just get rid of what I no longer need or wear.


I want to wear (or not wear) what and who I am!

What about you?

Are you a jewelry wearer? Do you aspire to wear more jewelry one day? Maybe you stand in front of the mirror, trying on 3 different necklaces everyday. Or maybe you dig through your pile of earrings, trying to find the matching earring and spend minutes trying to untangle your necklace mess?

Whether you wear jewelry or not, I am going to safely assume you have some jewelry in your home. And now it’s time to live with less of it!

How:
1. Find all of your jewelry. All rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets.

2. Lay out all of your jewelry on a flat surface. Pair each earring together, untangle, and put necklaces and jewelry in sets if they are in one.

3. Go through each piece of jewelry and ask:

• What emotions does it bring it out?
• Do you feel obligated to keep it?
• Do you enjoy wearing it?
• Do you still own the clothing that it goes with?
• Is it out of style?
• Does it look good on you?
• Does it annoy you when you wear it?
• Do you have all of the pieces in the set?
• Is it worn out?
• Are you just plain sick of wearing it?
• Are you keeping it because of the sentimental value it has?
• Are you keeping it because you spent a lot on it?

4. Downsize. Set aside your favorite earrings and necklaces. Maybe even set a magic number, like 5. By choosing a specific number, it will help you figure out what you can live without. How many pairs of earrings and how many necklaces do you really need?

5. Decide: with what is left, is it worth keeping? Will you ever wear it again? Is it worth the space it takes up?


6. Donate what you no longer want or give it to someone who would appreciate it.

7. How you store your jewelry is up to you. 

• Hang them on a nail in your cupboard (this is what I do because I have so few)
• Keep them in a jewelry box
• Plastic container with movable dividers (can be found at any craft store)

8. As the next few months go by, decide if what you kept, is really worth keeping. I still have necklaces that I made, that I really wonder why I am keeping them? I haven’t worn them in about 2 years. It’s time to get rid of them!

Fortunately, jewelry is one of those items that reminds you of the clutter you have – it stares you in the face with it’s tangled messes, the missing of the other earring or back of an earring, and so on. If you don’t stay on top of jewelry clutter, it will definitely remind you that it needs to be decluttered!

So here’s to getting rid of the mentality of thinking that you will wear it someday – you probably won’t and NOW is the time to get rid of it!