Brits warned to always pack a ‘large piece of cling film’ in their suitcases

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Packing for a holiday can be stressful, but you should never just bung your jewellery in a bag and forget about it as your necklaces and bracelets can become impossibly knotted together.

Plus, earrings can snap, rings can become chipped or lose stones. Thankfully there are lots of ways to pack jewellery wisely to prevent it getting damaged.

Sarah Rowlands, a jewellery expert at Pandora UK, went ahead and explained her best tips for keeping your jewellery safe and in good condition. After all you don't want to ruin your favourite pieces while travelling.

READ MORE: 'I worked out a clever trick that saved me £18.50 on Ryanair baggage costs'

She told the Express: "Take a large piece of cling film and lay your jewellery out about 5cm apart on one half of the film. Then fold the other half of the cling film over so the jewellery is encased in film. Lastly, gently roll up the cling film with your jewellery inside so it will be compact and tangle-free for packing in a little box or pouch."

The cling film should hold the chains in place and stop them from knotting up when you put them in your bag. Holidaymakers could also try threading the necklace through a straw to avoid it tangling as the tube will keep it straight.

But, its not just long pieces that can get damaged in transit. Anyone who's taken out their earrings to discover the they're bent or even broken can attest to that.

Sarah added: "Reuse an old piece of cardboard of polystyrene and pierce little holes for your earrings to get through.

"Or pierce earrings through a fresh cotton ball for safe transport. This is better than storing multiple earrings loose in a little bag or pouch where they can bash each other and cause damage."

Earrings could become damaged if they’re stored in a pouch or box by hitting one another, being crushed or the spokes breaking off. A piece of cardboard will lie flat in the suitcase and won’t take up much room.

Sarah also recommends packing necklaces in a zip lock bag to avoid them becoming tangled. Sometimes when the chains knot you'll never get them loose – or have to pay a jeweller to unravel them.

She said: "A great hack is to make use of small plastic bags and put your chains 90 percent inside but leave the ends dangling out. Seal the bag as usual and this will prevent any tangling of necklaces, chains, bracelets or anklets."

The jewellery expert added: "It goes without saying to consider leaving very special or precious jewellery at home, especially if it’s very valuable. Unless the item is insured, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Some people even purchase cheaper versions of their engagement or wedding rings to take on holiday instead."

Sarah isn't the only person to say you should leave jewellery at home. Brits have been warned to leave their engagement or wedding rings off when they go on holiday too.

A jewellery expert and managing director at Clogau, Ben Roberts, said that we shouldn’t wear rings while on a summer holiday somewhere hot. He said: "If you’re travelling abroad this summer, more often than not, it will be a much hotter destination than the UK and many of us forget the effects the hot weather has on our bodies. Our fingers can swell quite significantly when it gets hotter, making it almost impossible to wear rings."

If you still want to wear a wedding ring, but don't want to risk your fingers being painfully squeezed then you can always opt for a stretchy silicone option. These are also great if you plan to do lots of swimming, hiking or sports as they won't get caught on anything or tarnish.

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