More than 25% of travelers who wear jewelry have lost a piece while on the road, according to a survey conducted by the insurance company Jewelry Mutual Group.
Because of all the tiny loose parts involved, earrings are of course among the easiest items to lose, with halves of matching pairs disappearing into the nooks and crannies of suitcases, hotel rooms, cars, you name it. And once lost, earrings are as mysteriously unfindable as dryer-eaten socks.
The internet's favorite solution to this problem, recommended by social media influencers, YouTubers, and news outlets, is what we'll call the Pierced Button Hack.
You simply take a big button and poke the stabby part of each earring through the button's holes and fasten the backs of the earrings on so they'll stay in place.
Pretty clever, sure, but now you have to keep track of a loose button.
A smarter way to keep matching earring pairs together in a harder-to-lose container is by trying what we'll call the Pill Earganizer Hack.
For this trick, you turn an ordinary daily pill organizer—those plastic rectangular things with little compartments for each day of the week—into an ultra-cheap, travel-friendly jewelry box.
(Credit: Chris Soucy / Shutterstock)
Store your earrings, rings, and any other small jewelry pieces in the compartments, click them shut, and toss the pillbox into your carry-on.
This hack obviously won't work for big hoops and other earrings that won't fit into the plastic boxes, but then, larger jewelry is probably harder to lose anyway.
You could also go ahead and purchase a travel jewelry organizer. But if you're looking for an alternative using something you probably already own, the daily pill thingy is the way to go.
Just don't toss back your great-grandmother's diamond studs with a glass of water.
Also, don't bring your great-grandmother's diamond studs on your trip if you can avoid it. Traveling with jewelry that's high in monetary or sentimental value only increases the chances that your precious gems and heirlooms will get lost or stolen. Why court trouble?
For the same reasons, experts recommend that those traveling by air pack jewelry in carry-on rather than checked luggage, lest the bag get lost or pilfered.
And at a hotel, you should always keep your valuables in the room's safe whenever you're not wearing your baubles, bangles, and bling.
