【Favorite Things Column】A kiri (paulownia wood) three-tier jewelry case, cherished like a personal collection

Among the many items introduced on ZUTTO, it's our staff who are involved from the selection process, who write the product descriptions, and who truly understand the appeal of each item through daily contact with them. This is our Favorite Things column, where staff members enthusiastically introduce items they've purchased with their own money and use every day.

Today's favorite item: [Special Order] Kiri Three-Tier Jewelry Case

*The item used by our staff is the old specification. For the currently available product, please check the product page.

Staff member who uses this item: Customer Support T

I love pierced earrings and have been collecting them for years, either buying them myself or receiving them as gifts—I now own about 25 pairs. With my previous storage method, I found it a hassle to loop the earring back through the catch just to keep the pair from getting separated. Since I want to keep using my favorite pieces for a long time, even if they aren't expensive, I struggled to find the right way to store and preserve precious metal jewelry.

"Before I got the kiri three-tier jewelry case, I used to keep my accessories in a glass tray from iittala called Vitriini."

"It looked beautiful as a piece of interior decor and I really liked its appearance, but since there were no dividers, even though I could sort items into rough zones at first, everything gradually got mixed up as I used it, and that made it frustrating when I couldn't find what I was looking for right away. Also, since it had no lid, dust would gradually settle on everything, and I felt that couldn't be good for precious metals."

▲It often happened that when I picked up a necklace, an earring hook would get caught on it and come along too.

"When I heard that Masuda Kiribako-ten had a project to create custom-order jewelry cases, I offered my own requests—things like 'I'd like it this way' or 'this size would be nice.' And the jewelry case that resulted was exactly what I had hoped for. I bought one right away and have been using it every day since. I have my own little rules for how I use it, so let me share them with you."

Top tier: Displaying frequently used, first-string items like a collection

Since I work from home, I don't go out very often, but I wear pierced earrings almost every day. Just as some people say putting on an apron switches them into cooking mode, for me, putting on earrings switches me into work mode. (There's also the fact that even if my clothes are simple, wearing earrings somehow makes me look a bit more put-together...)

The top tier, with its 24 small compartments, is where I keep things according to a rough arrangement by item type. As you can see, the left column is for necklaces, the column next to it is for rings, and the four columns to the right of that are for pierced earrings and ear cuffs. Normally, getting ready just means opening and closing this top tier. I don't wear necklaces and rings every day, but many of them hold special memories, so I keep them in the top tier where I can see them.

I was truly amazed once I started using it, at how much easier storage and retrieval become when there's a separate compartment for each item. Since I roughly know where everything is, I never get confused, and things never get mixed up. I just put things back where they belong when I'm done, so I no longer panic thinking "did I lose it?" Stones and metals don't bump into each other and get scratched—it's all good things.

By the way, I keep a jewelry cloth in the top tier. I've heard that giving your jewelry a quick polish helps keep both the metal and the stones from clouding over time, so I do it whenever I get the chance.

　

Second tier: Storage for pierced earrings and rings I don't use much these days

The second tier has some room to spare. There are pierced earrings I loved in my twenties that I feel might not suit me anymore, but I haven't parted with them and keep them stored here. The left side of the second tier has compartments, while the right side is one level deeper and larger. Round glass earrings, which have some height, fit here, and long earrings that don't fit in the compartments I just pop into the right-hand space.

I don't buy accessories one after another just because they're cute, but I imagine my collection will keep growing little by little from here, so having this extra space right now gives me peace of mind.

Bottom tier: Wristwatches, statement necklaces, and bangles

The bottom tier is for larger items. Aside from my wristwatch, I don't use these very often, but since I don't have any other box to put them in, having a place for larger bangles and necklaces is genuinely convenient. As for the wristwatch, it wasn't something I used to wear regularly, but once I started going out with my kids and needed to check the time often, I found it inconvenient to pull out my phone every time when my hands were full, and that's how I ended up relying on a watch.

That's roughly how I use it.

The jewelry case sits on a chest of drawers in my bedroom, and I usually choose my earrings for the day while getting dressed. That said, I actually carry them to the bathroom and put them on in front of the mirror there, so I'm now considering placing a mirror next to the jewelry case as well.

I'm also very satisfied with how this three-tiered kiri (paulownia wood) jewelry case functions as a collection case. It brings back memories of the excitement I felt as a child opening my grandmother's jewelry box, and since many of my pieces were actually passed down from my grandmother and mother, I feel happy knowing I can properly store and display them, taking good care of my jewelry.

This ring with the light blue stone holds special meaning for me—it was remade from my grandmother's ring to fit my size. Given the fashion trends of that era, the stone is quite large and has a strong presence, so it's not really suited for everyday wear, but I keep it in the top tier. Thanks to the tall lid, even large rings like this one fit without touching anything.

Since I started using this three-tiered kiri jewelry case, I've noticed that organizing everything lets me see all my pieces at a glance, and I've started reaching for them more evenly. I think it's important to let pieces rest rather than wearing the same ones continuously, so having less bias in what I use means I can enjoy my jewelry for longer.

▼[Special Order] Three-Tiered Kiri Jewelry Case — Product Page Here