【Special Order Project】A gamaguchi jewelry pouch made together with REN. For storing and carrying your precious jewelry with even greater care.

How do you store and carry your jewelry?

Opportunities to go out may be fewer than in past years, but there are still situations—an overnight trip, heading to work, the gym, a public bath—where you need to take off your jewelry and store it as needed. In moments like these, have you ever been at a loss for what to put it in or where to keep it?

Slipping it into your wallet or pocket feels risky—you worry it might fall out, and it would be a real shock if it got scratched. And even at home, you may want a dedicated place for your truly favorite pieces, separate from everything else.

This time, ZUTTO worked together with REN, a leather bag and accessories brand, to create a jewelry pouch. We hope this can help you store your favorite jewelry safely and securely when carrying it around, so you can keep using and cherishing it for a long time without ever losing it.

The REN Special-Order Jewelry Pouch: makes whatever you put inside feel even more precious

The reason we decided to design this jewelry pouch from scratch, rather than simply introducing an existing ready-made one, was that we weren't satisfied with the jewelry pouches commonly sold elsewhere.

Jewelry pouches commonly sold by other brands often come with holes for earrings or a bar for slipping on rings, but the storage is rigidly assigned to specific items—"put this here"—so on days when you're not carrying those particular items, that storage space goes to waste, and the result is a bulky pouch that's larger than it needs to be. Our own staff had voiced this same complaint.

So we considered a variety of designs, and in the end settled on a gamaguchi (clasp-frame) style that values "freedom in what you put inside."

With a satisfying click, the gamaguchi clasp opens to reveal five accordion-fold storage compartments in total.

The two outer compartments are for larger pieces of jewelry

These larger compartments open wide, so you can fit rings with bold, large stones and similar pieces.

The three accordion-fold pockets are for smaller pieces

There are three accordion-fold pockets, perfect as a dedicated spot for single stud earrings or delicate chain necklaces. The middle pocket has a snap button, so use it for your especially precious or particularly small items.

PHILIP and MIES: REN's original leathers that stay beautiful for years to come

From the many original leathers offered by REN, we chose two: PHILIP, a cowhide leather developed with careful attention to its texture and ease of handling, and MIES, a goatskin leather that showcases the natural mottling and organic character inherent to the hide.

VANILLA, PALE GREY

Chrome tanning gives the leather a supple, comfortable feel that conforms easily to the hand. The grain pattern on PHILIP's surface is created by embossing, achieving a highly consistent quality. MIES, on the other hand, has a natural grain pattern; its high fiber density makes it resistant to losing its shape and resistant to friction. Both finishes are designed to show minimal change in texture over time—a welcome trait for pale-colored leathers—so you can enjoy their beautiful appearance for a long time.

YELLOW

Since this leather resists dirt and hand oils relatively well and stands up to friction, we chose soft, pale colors: VANILLA and PALE GREY, and MIES YELLOW. Because this pouch holds precious jewelry that brings joy each time it's opened with a click, we wanted both the look and the leather to be something special—which is why we chose gold hardware, for a feminine touch.

What can you fit inside, and how much? A staff member's everyday use

Staff member M, who planned the gamaguchi jewelry pouch, has been using it constantly ever since the sample arrived, and says she's really come to appreciate how convenient it is.

What kind of jewelry do you own?

I love earrings, and I have a lot of small stud-style ones. Lately, I've reached an age where a bold ring I inherited from my grandmother suits me well, so I wear it from time to time.

How did you store and carry your jewelry before?

At home, I kept it in a glass box called iittala's Vitriini (pictured above). I love how beautiful it looks, but since it has no dividers at all, everything would get jumbled together—I'd have to hunt for matching earring pairs, and I was always a little worried that my favorite pieces might get scratched inside it.

So now, not just for carrying jewelry around, but for storing it at home too, I keep the pieces I truly treasure in this gamaguchi jewelry pouch. Inside, I keep a necklace someone gave me, earrings I splurged on for myself, and a ring I inherited from my grandmother.

I hear you discovered a new way to use it?

That's right. The middle pocket, which has a gusseted (accordion-style) structure, comes with a snap button, so I've been using it to hold a small single-diamond stud earring so it won't accidentally pop out—but I also realized it works great for preventing necklace chains from tangling. Even when you store just one necklace, the chain can still get tangled, right? But if you use that snap-button middle pocket and fasten the chain with the button, you can keep it from tangling inside.

Also, although they're not jewelry, I keep hair ties and hairpins in there too. Since I have a daughter, I often find myself thinking, "Oh, we needed a hair tie!" even when we're just going out together, not necessarily traveling (especially when eating out), so it's handy to keep a few thin silicone hair ties and hairpins inside. I also get headaches, so on days when I sense one coming on, I carry painkillers in there as well.

After all, storing and carrying your precious jewelry in a proper pouch—rather than in something makeshift like a zip-lock bag—makes you want to treat it with even more care, and I've found myself giving it a quick wipe after each use. I'm the type who starts from appearances, so to speak, but I'm happy about that kind of shift in mindset too.

I think most people who love jewelry have, to some degree, wondered how best to handle "storage at home" and "carrying it with you." If you gave someone jewelry last year, why not give them a gamaguchi (clasp-frame) jewelry pouch this year, to help them keep that jewelry carefully stored? Of course, it would also be lovely to place new earrings or a necklace inside as a gift. I think they'll say, "Yes, this is exactly what I wanted."