Simplify Your Life One Necklace at a Time - Step 2

Mixed metal yin-yang lapis lazuli earrings

In Step 1, we talked about managing all that jewelry you have as part of your overall plan to simplify your life.  Don't we all need to think about simplifying our lives?  I know my life could sure use a touch of simplification!  We talked about sorting your jewelry info four categories:  jewelry you love (for whatever reason), jewelry pieces that are your "staple" items (that you wear over & over), jewelry you no longer love and, finally, jewelry that you never loved (& still don't).  

In this post, we will talk about what to do with those four piles of jewelry that you now have on hand - or, maybe more correctly, how to think about the jewelry which will lead you to think about what you want to do about it. 

So, it's probably evident by now that jewelry categories 1 and 2 are your "keepers". We will look at those again later but for now, let's focus on categories 3 & 4.  

#3:  Jewelry you once loved but don't love anymore.  You might think about this jewelry as simply something that needs a new home.  Sure, you don't love it anymore, but someone else might so it's time to release it into the universe and give someone else a chance to love it.  So, you might decide to donate to a charity the pieces that have little monetary value.  But what about the pieces that were expensive and include precious metals and semi-precious stones?  In that case, do you have a niece, granddaughter or dear friend who might cherish a gift of one or more pieces of this jewelry?  What is no longer "right" for you, might be a wonderful gift for someone you love.  You could also consider donating a piece or two to one of your favorite charities for their fundraising auction.

Now let's look at #4 - Jewelry that you never loved and still don't.  Well, if you didn't love this jewelry when you got it and still don't, what are the chances that you will suddenly "love" it?  Pretty slim, right?  So, do the right thing and pass this jewelry along so that someone else can love it and wear it.  There are many charities that take donations of all sorts of accessories and clothing.  Take your pick, gift them your jewelry!  It's a win-win.

Bye for now!  Next time, let's take a look at your "keeper" jewelry with an eye toward building a perfect "jewelry wardrobe"!

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