The Jewelry Dish

I don't know about you, but for some reason when I'm in the bathroom and ready to say, wash my face for the night, I know I simply must take off my earrings...but I don't want to walk allllll the way back (those five steps) into my bedroom to put those earrings away like I should. Walllah! The need for a jewelry dish suddenly becomes a necessity. It is much safer to put my ring or earrings in a little dish beside the bathroom sink rather than on the edge of the sink and risk having something go down the drain. My mom has a jewelry dish by her telephone in her kitchen. Why she takes her pretties off there, I'm not sure. Some people must take their rings off before they do the dishes and need a place by the kitchen sink. Then there are those who take jewelry off when they come through the door from work in the evening. Many may have a place on their dresser for their "regular" jewelry--the pieces they put on everyday--as opposed to pieces they choose from their jewelry box to coordinate with their outfit for the day. Perhaps others place a little dish for guests to use in a guest room so that necklaces and rings are not lost or left behind.
I remember as a child looking at those hands--you know the ones--with all the fingers and thumb sticking up so that one may put rings on the fingers and perhaps a necklace in the palm. They always creeped me out a little (influenced from the old Adam's Family series perhaps), so a little, fancy, pretty dish is what I need. One doesn't have to take a plain, glass custard dish from the kitchen to place jewelry in. There are many places to look for pretty little, inexpensive dishes. My favorite and the one I use, pictured above with it's scattered roses, I purchased for 10 cents at a charity store.
Next is similar to the one like my mom uses. On a trip to Japan many years ago, I simply couldn't resist all of the beautiful little dishes the Japanese use for meals. They truly know how to present a meal beautifully. The dishes just enhance the beauty of the meals. I purchased many little dishes for gifts, and this is one that I kept for myself, and, yes, have in our guest bedroom.
Do you have a saucer left after breaking a favorite teacup? Why toss the saucer? It can be repurposed as a lovely jewelry dish.
There are many little dishes that can be found if one only looks--check out the "Dent and Scratch" or the 50% off area of a fine gift shop to see if there is an orphaned or slightly chipped dish. Antique stores and garage sales also offer great dishes to choose from. Some other ideas to look for are as follows: small plant saucer/pot, soap dish, small cut glass dish, antique child's glass play dish, old cigarette dish (yes, believe it or not, some of these are truly pretty and one barely notices the notches where the cigarettes are supposed to go), small candy dish, pickle dish, low-profile candle holder, butter pat dish...one needs only have an eye for something pretty and small. The opportunities are endless to add a lovely, inexpensive, and useful addition to your home!