Custom jewelry storage

[Rose-gold-or-bust]

I’m having a large custom cabinet built for jewelry storage (plus some other valuable items I collect). I do have a safe but it is hard to get into and not big enough for my slowly expanding collection so I only keep sentimental irreplaceable things in it. The stuff I wear everyday I want easy access to, but also locked up so my kids don’t play dress up and it is a little harder to steal.

Jewelry boxes are too easy to run off with so I’m having a cabinet built with 8 shallow drawers, each about 11”x25”. I will make or buy or have made trays to put the pretty things in - some for necklaces (I like to lay these flat instead of hang), and some for earrings and rings and bracelets. It will have a strong lock on it and my builder has some great plans to make it hard to get into. It is solid wood and on the 2nd floor so anyone who tries to carry it away will have plenty of trouble doing so and if they put the time into breaking in, well, the most important things are insured anyway.

Now to my questions...

Does anyone have something similar and can share ideas?
Am I overlooking any details? My collection is mostly necklaces, rings and earrings but I’ll leave room for bracelets and watches in case I ever go that route.
Any resources for custom jewelry trays that I can have made to fit right into these drawers (once I have the exact specs)?

I sketched out my idea and I’ll eventually have revised plans back from the builder but here is my idea for now...

The doors will actually not have handles on them as in the photo. Builder suggested no handles because it would give somebody a leverage spot to overwhelm the lock. Bottom two drawers will not lock and I’ll use them for storing quilts or whatever. Top section will have two doors that lock and open to reveal a bunch of drawers. 6” drawer will be used for stashing some items when I’m going out of town for a while and the 3” drawers will be all for jewelry and in-set gemstones. What am I not thinking about? Now is my chance to make last minute changes before the builder draws up his official plans and sends me the bill

 

[PreRaphaelite]

How about adding a secret compartment or two, perhaps even a false bottom interior? I have done this when adding shelves to my circa 1850 Grunderzeit pine armoire as show below. I antiqued the false bottom the same color as the rest of the armoire so that it becomes unnoticeable in comparison to the *obviously new* shelves.... when it is full of stuff, no stranger would think to lever up the floor to look underneath. I hope.

 

[Rose-gold-or-bust]

How about adding a secret compartment or two, perhaps even a false bottom interior? I have done this when adding shelves to my circa 1850 Grunderzeit pine armoire as show below. I antiqued the false bottom the same color as the rest of the armoire so that it becomes unnoticeable in comparison to the *obviously new* shelves.... when it is full of stuff, no stranger would think to lever up the floor to look underneath. I hope.

Really cool idea! Thanks for sharing

 

[Octo2005]

Love the idea, maybe you could add a lock to the drawers with the jewelry as well. Anything to slow them down.

The Container Store sells some nice jewelry trays in various configurations that might work, depending on the interior dimensions of your drawers .

 

[Rose-gold-or-bust]

Love the idea, maybe you could add a lock to the drawers with the jewelry as well. Anything to slow them down.

The Container Store sells some nice jewelry trays in various configurations that might work, depending on the interior dimensions of your drawers .

Yes, I was looking at the stacker trays. They are 1.5” each so I could actually stack them two high.

Currently, I don’t have enough jewelry to fill this cabinet anywhere near full but I love to organize by color so I’ll likely have a drawer for black/white/diamond, pink/red, orange/yellow/green and blue/purple. With another drawer for watches, sunglasses and other accessories. I think I’m going to do 6 drawers and a shelf now so I can use the shelf to store handbags. That gives me 1500 square inches of jewelry storage, up from my current 126 . The guy who is building this probably thinks I’m completely insane.