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An open cream jewellery box on pale linen in daylight, with a fine gold necklace and small pendant resting on a soft cushion inside, folded white tissue paper around it, the lid beside it and a loose silk ribbon

Guides / How it's made / Packing an order

Packing an order

A piece of jewellery has two journeys ahead of it: a few days in the post, and years in a drawer. Here is how it is packed for both.

  • $2.44Postage paid to mail the Hope Diamond
  • £750Standard cover on Royal Mail Special Delivery
  • 2.5 cmDeepest a Royal Mail Large Letter can be

Illustration created for this guide

Published 21 October 2026 · 5 minute read · Facts checked 21 October 2026 against the sources at the end.

A diamond in the mail

On 8 November 1958, an employee of Harry Winston's jewellery store in New York posted an ordinary-looking package to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. It weighed just over five pounds and travelled by registered mail, then the safest way to send valuables. Inside was the Hope Diamond. The postage came to $2.44. Almost all of the rest of the $145.29 bill was for insurance.

A letter carrier, James G. Todd, delivered it. Most jewellery travels with less ceremony, but the same three questions apply to every parcel: will it arrive, will it arrive undamaged, and will it still look as it should when it is opened?

Packing against tarnish

Silver tarnishes because of the air. The dark film is mainly silver sulphide, and it is caused by sulphur-containing gases such as hydrogen sulphide. Keep those gases away and silver stays bright for far longer. Museum conservators, who keep silver for centuries rather than seasons, use a few simple measures.

Hands slide a fine silver chain, laid out straight, into a small clear resealable bag with a dark anti-tarnish tab inside, on a pale painted bench, with a second sealed bag holding a pair of stud earrings on a card beside it
A sealed bag keeps air, and the gases that tarnish silver, away from a chain. Illustration created for this guide.
  • A sealed bag. The Canadian Conservation Institute recommends placing individual silver objects in polyethylene bags, and closed, sealed storage where possible.
  • Something to absorb the gases. Tarnish-inhibiting cloths embedded with tiny silver particles are particularly effective. Activated charcoal products do the same job.
  • Dry air. Small containers of dry silica gel can go inside a storage bag, kept out of direct contact with the object itself.
  • The right paper. Any tissue that touches silver should be acid free, unbuffered, sulphur free and of archival quality.
  • Nothing that gives off sulphur. Conservators keep metals away from rubber, including rubber bands and latex gloves, from wool and felt, and from wood and wood-pulp products, which release sulphur compounds.

Gold and platinum do not tarnish the way silver does, but plated pieces and silver-coloured alloys benefit from the same care, and a sealed bag protects every finish from scratches as well as air. Birmingham Assay Office even offers a test of packaging itself, for components that could tarnish what is inside.

Keeping chains apart

Fine chains have a talent for knotting themselves in transit. The jewellery trade's own care advice is to wrap each piece separately in soft tissue paper, which keeps it untangled and unscratched and helps prevent tarnish, and not to lay necklaces next to or on top of each other, which causes knots and kinks. A chain laid out straight in its own bag or box, with the clasp held so it cannot thread back through the links, travels best.

Earrings ride well on a card, so a pair stays together. Rings sit in a slot or cushion. Whatever the piece, the box that holds it should keep it still: anything that can move inside a box can rub, and silver and plating scratch more easily than most people expect.

Packing for the post

Hands close the lid of a small white postal box on a pale oak table, with a closed jewellery gift box nestled snugly in the middle, surrounded by soft cream paper padding
The gift box goes inside a stronger box, padded so it cannot move. Illustration created for this guide.

A gift box is made to be opened, not to be posted. For the journey it goes inside an outer box or mailer, and Royal Mail's packaging advice for that outer layer is straightforward:

  • Use an outer container strong enough for its contents.
  • Fragile items should not touch each other or the sides of the container.
  • Fill the space with cushioning material such as bubble wrap or polystyrene chips.
  • Seal securely with tape along all edges and openings.
  • Put a contact name, address and telephone number inside, as well as on the outside.

Unwrapping the Hope

The Hope Diamond travelled with $2.44 of stamps, because the registration and insurance, not the packaging, carried the value. Everyday jewellery needs a little more from its box: a sealed bag against the air, tissue against scratches, a chain laid straight, and a strong outer box with nothing loose inside. Get those right and the piece arrives looking exactly as it did on the bench, and stays that way in the drawer.

Good to know

Why does silver tarnish in its box?

Sulphur gases in the air react with silver to form black silver sulphide. Some boxes, papers and fabrics, such as wood-pulp products, wool and felt, can give off sulphur themselves.

Do anti-tarnish strips and cloths work?

Conservation guidance describes cloths embedded with tiny silver particles as particularly effective, and activated charcoal products absorb tarnishing gases too. They work best inside a sealed bag or box.

How do I stop necklaces tangling?

Keep each one separate, wrapped in soft tissue or in its own bag, laid straight rather than coiled on top of another.

What is the safest way to post jewellery in the UK?

Royal Mail recommends Special Delivery Guaranteed for valuables and jewellery. Standard services do not compensate for jewellery.

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