How can I make something to display jewellery out of recycled things?

Right, another one in our new Reverse Recycle This series: how can I make something out of recycled stuff?

I’ve got a lot of costume jewellery because it’s really easy & fun to make and/or find going unbelievably cheap in charity shops (one of my favourite necklaces cost 10p – ace!).

At the moment it’s all dumped on the top shelf of a three-shelf unit we’ve got in the bedroom but necklaces and floppy bracelets frequently get tangled up and I can’t see what all my options are whenever I’m having an accessorising crisis (usually happening about 15 minutes after we should have left). Some of the necklaces particularly are really quite pretty too, so it’s a shame for them to be in an untidy heap.

I thought about making a wall hanging – with some cool flock-style fabric I found in a scrap-material bin a few years ago – but didn’t know how I would be best to go about this. I imagine cup hooks or something – but would have to find really big, ugly ones for my solid ’80s style bangles.

So any suggestions on how I can make something to display/tidy up the jewellery, using recycled/reused things from around the home etc, that’ll look pretty or cool enough to be in a fairly focal point of our bedroom?

Related Categories

hobbies, household, items, reverse this

Search for other related items



26 Responses to “How can I make something to display jewellery out of recycled things?”


  1. Bellen says:

    Picture frames with cup hooks to hold necklaces/bracelets.
    Picture frames with window screen to hold pierced earrings – the kind with hooks not studs.
    Hanger – the kind with the pant bar that comes off on one end for the bangle bracelets. You could make your own with a reinforced paper towel roll and a wire hanger.
    Baggies stitched to a piece of material, leaving the front top open (to put your jewelry in) mount on wall
    Even easier, mount a baseball card plastic page and put jewelry in the pockets
    Length of chain, metal or plastic, and hang jewelry in each link
    Length of cord and spring clothespins
    Egg carton for stud earrings and rings

  2. Becky says:

    Those ideas sound great. I thought about getting a cardboard tube ( you could get one from a printing company) I get loads at work from our large format technical drawings. They are really hard cardboard and if you could make a base either from an old upside down round tub or paper mashe to hold it steady you could either hammer nails or screw hooks in it all the way round and up to hang necklaces, bracelets and bangles. Kind of like those mug trees but a much larger scale. You can vary the size of the hooks or nails. It could be floor standing or on a dresser. You could paint it or cover it in fabric. You could even create a fancy top like a star or something. Go wild.

  3. Tamara says:

    use old door handles from a junk store as necklace “hooks.” I also saw someone use old lace (instead of old screen) for the earrings-frame idea.

  4. Katherine says:

    How about re-tooling a vintage medicine cabinet?

    I thought about doing that, but opted for some vintage mannequin hands (for rings and bracelets) and a wall-mounted industrial coat rack (for necklaces).

    This picture is a good example of what the necklaces look like.

  5. Yukino says:

    I’ve been thinking of possible jewellery holders a lot lately. Here are some links I found online for future reference.

    http://www.curbly.com/Kristy/posts/794
    http://www.robomargo.com/quickprojects.html – scrooooolll to about 1/3 of a page, or press F3 & type ‘earring display’.
    http://www.diylife.com/2007/11/18/stylish-jewelry-storage/
    http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/06/decor_it_yourself_diy_jewelry.html

    I also took an old cutting board, painted it, then glued two rows of ribbons, and used it to hold some necklaces & earrings. Works for smaller things. Looks like this:

    http://pics.livejournal.com/passthesky/pic/00027bxa/g52
    http://pics.livejournal.com/passthesky/pic/00028ecf/g52

  6. sami says:

    I use belts (the kind with holes that go all the way around) to hang my earrings on. Just put a nail / a couple tacks through the top holes and add earrings. Works great with studs and hooks (as long as the stud earrings aren’t itsy bitsy). You could always saftey-pin a worn piece of fabric to the belt to put the tiny studs through. For necklaces I reused one of those collapsable/accordian coat racks that always seemed too flimsy for winter coats. The elastic bracelets/necklaces I still keep in a drawer because hanging them destroys the elastic over time.

    • sami says:

      might i also mention how nice it was to have all my favorite earrings on the belts when wildfires near my home made us evacuate? I just pulled them quickly off the wall and threw them in a sack. only a couple of the hook earrings fell off :)

  7. Lucia says:

    To display earrings at a market I used the base of a triangular table-calender (the ones with the wire on top). Works very good and there is also space to write prices or the things they are made of.
    In some markets here in Italy I saw people displaying earrings on open umbrellas fixed on a tripod. This is obviuosly to diplay at a market not at home…

  8. anna says:

    When my keyboard broke, I made a wallet and then an earring holder out of it. Here the earring holder http://flickr.com/photos/zisa/1172465176/

  9. twinks says:

    I used an old hat rack and added a few more pegs. Holds lots and is an entertaining ‘art piece’ that constantly changes.

  10. Tamara says:

    aha!

    the keyboard-earring holder reminds me of all those birthcontrol boxes with the holes in the back, which some may remember, i desperately needed help re-using.

    if any are in the u.s. and need an earring holder… the backs of the pill box might work… with all those lovely little holes…

  11. marigold says:

    i hang my necklaces on the prongs of old silver forks whose prongs i have bent out into curves and their handles bent over as hooks

  12. casey says:

    my grandmother used to hang her necklaces on old empty thread spools, and her earring on fabric stretched through an embroidery hoop. she just screwed the spools right to the wall through the center hole, but I would probably put them on a board and then put that on the wall to have less holes.

  13. nancy griffith says:

    I use the metel part of an old garden rake you can paint it your choice of color (even add sparkle for teenagers) or use the way they are ( I leave natural as I have country decor.)screw to the wall or to any kind of plaque or barn wood. the tines are slightly curved and hold many necklaces, or to display beautiful old roseary collection’s. you can even fill the tines with braclets and rings, this works well if you do flea-markets etc.

  14. Anna says:

    You can take a piece of scrap wood then cover it with batting. Then cover the batting with scrap fabric. You can use sewing pins to hand the jewelry.

  15. Kimberly says:

    I hang my earrings in a re purposed vinyl record.
    If you heat up a safety pin with a lit candle it goes easily through the record and leaves holes the perfect size for a stud or hanging earring.
    Slap on a bit of spray paint and you’re done!

  16. marjorie says:

    l got a canvas and some u hooks to display my jewellery
    hope this helps you

  17. Tui says:

    Here is a link for Jewellery display made from a cutlery drawer.
    http://laughingdaisies.com/2008/10/22/necklace-organizer/

  18. william says:

    i do not no wot to do for my prject @ skool

  19. Pat says:

    I use a cloth lampshade to put my earrings on. That way they are together and I’ve had several comments about how cool the lamp looks when on

  20. Regina says:

    I use old woven placemats, hung with nails, to display my jewelry. I hang necklaces and bracelets from the nails. Works like a charm!

  21. emma says:

    i use driftwood to display my jewellery and earrings. alot of pieces have small holes in them made by sea creatures similar to woodworms, perfect for hanging earrings from. nature sometimes creates the perfect shape for bracelets and necklaces to be hung from out of the wood too. also a lovely day beach combing to find them…goodluck!!

  22. JAP says:

    I use a cork pinboard covered in wide hole netting material (quite tightly tacked on). The dangly’s can be hooked on and the studs can be pressed into the cork.

  23. Food Recipes says:

    use the metel part of an old garden rake you can paint it your choice of color (even add sparkle for teenagers) or use the way they are ( I leave natural as I have country decor.)screw to the wall or to any kind of plaque or barn wood. the tines are slightly curved and hold many necklaces, or to display beautiful old roseary collection’s.

  24. Darlene says:

    I have used a mug holder for hanging earrings and bracelets. It’s the kind that’s shaped like a tree so I added a few beads shaped like leaves to decorate it.

  25. Raisa says:

    i’ve got a a few iteams of jewellery including, necklaces, braclets ,bangels and earing and i really really need something to put it all in that has sections and that i can make at home.



Leave a Reply to Anna

Your name
Your email (it will not be published. If you want people to contact you, leave your email address in the message too.)
Your website (if you've got one)