jewelry

noun

jew·​el·​ry ˈjü-əl-rē 

ˈjül-rē, 

ˈju̇l-;

nonstandard ˈjü-lə-rē

variants US jewelry or chiefly British jewellery

: ornamental pieces (such as rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets) that are made of materials which may or may not be precious (such as gold, silver, glass, and plastic), are often set with genuine or imitation gems, and are worn for personal adornment

a collection of valuable jewelry

a jewelry store

see also costume jewelry

Did you know?

Objects designed for the adornment of the body are called jewelry. While modern jewelry is made of gold, silver, or platinum, often with precious or semiprecious stones, it evolved from shells, animal teeth, and other items used as body decoration in prehistoric times. Over the centuries it came to be a sign of social or religious rank, and in Renaissance Italy, jewelry-making reached the status of a fine art. By the 19th century, industrialization brought jewelry within the reach of the middle class. Firms opened by such jewelers as Carl Fabergé and Louis Comfort Tiffany achieved great success by making fine jewelry for the wealthy.

Examples of jewelry in a Sentence

a store that sells jewelry

Recent Examples on the Web

With local vendors selling everything from clothing, thrift and vintage pieces, beauty products, candles, jewelry, fragrances and more, this Indie Market promotes a rotating list of merchants. — Lesly Gregory, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026

There, Oldham—a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist—runs his fine jewelry label, while Paige works as a professor at Pratt and a technical director for Linked By Air, a design and technology studio in Brooklyn. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Aug. 2026

For extra points, match the colors of the shirt with the jacket and shoes, and add gold jewelry and a belt. — Michel Mejía, Glamour, 2 Aug. 2026

Last summer, my mother gave me a box of old jewelry, odds and ends. — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

jewel entry 1 + -ry

First Known Use

circa 1624, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing jewelry

• costume jewelry

Kids Definition

jewelry

noun

jew·​el·​ry ˈjü-əl-rē 

ˈjül-rē

: ornamental pieces (as rings and necklaces) worn on the person : jewels