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

To reveal her pregnancy news, Dockery wore a dusty blue off-the-shoulder gown and minimal jewelry. —Ariana Quihuiz, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

Detectives believe additional victims may exist, given the couples long-standing involvement in the jewelry business. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025

The American designer brought Miceli on board with him at Louis Vuitton, eventually handing her the design reins for fashion jewelry. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025

The document stated that essential items include licenses, passports, Social Security cards, immigration papers, birth certificates, non-cosmetic jewelry, computers, computer drives, and family heirlooms such as photo albums, artwork and urns. —Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see jewel entry 1

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