My Mom (Daisy Schwartz Burk, 1919-1981) was a twin. Her sister (my Auntie Dorothy H. Schwartz, 1919-2001) was just a few minutes older. Growing up, they were inseparable. Their proud momma (my grandma Minnie) sewed identical outfits for her girls, including the lacy dropped-waist dresses shown in the photo at top.
To continue sharing family history for the sake of future generations, Sis and I visited a superb custom frame store and we worked with their experts to plan an archival shadow box featuring jewelry worn by Mom and Auntie. At top is a mockup of the arrangement, with a swatch of the ecru linen backing. The jewelry will be meticulously and invisibly hand-stitched to the linen, and the photo will be inset for a dimensional look.
In the center of the arrangement is a 1920s photo of Daisy and Dorothy, dressed for a special occasion. They're wearing matching pearl necklaces with matching bracelets. Yes, real pearls. One necklace and one bracelet will be mounted on either side of the photo.
Below the photo are two gold bracelets, one worn by each twin when they were preteens. My Mom had these appraised and learned they are real gold but not very valuable--although they are full of sentimental value.
Finally, artistically coiled on the left will be an identification bracelet that was engraved to "Daisy" from her sister "Dorothy, London, 1943." Auntie Dorothy, then a WAC serving overseas in WWII, sent this personalized bracelet to her dear twin Daisy back in the Bronx.
Mom kept the bracelet all her life and now it will have a place of honor in this shadowbox. Sis and I decided to have the "Dorothy, London, 1943" inscription facing out because I will write a story about the bracelet to be included in the archival envelope on the back of the frame.This is a high-end approach to sharing, an investment of several hundred dollars that I firmly believe is worthwhile for special items from for my family's history. The end result is an attractive heirloom that will be properly preserved and treasured for decades to come. The story of these items will be stored in an envelope on the back of the shadow box.
A less costly option, if you choose, is a ready-made shadowbox frame, available in various shapes, sizes, and colors in many retail stores. That would be a great start if you want to experiment with displaying your family's smaller items.