Definition of JEWELRY

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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

Bella further piled on the jewelry, both with multiple necklaces around her neck and fingers-full of rings. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Bella Thorne Wears Fuzzy Slippers and Socks in Los Angeles," 13 July 2018 The boutique, called GW, sells trendy designer apparel, jewelry, shoes and accessories at low prices. — Katherine Peralta, charlotteobserver, "Goodwill to open a boutique in South End," 13 July 2018 Meet dozens of international vendors and shop for clothing, jewelry, crafts, and more at Market Square. — BostonGlobe.com, "Five things to do around Greater Boston, July 16-22," 13 July 2018 Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market Vintage goods, clothing, jewelry, furniture, arts and crafts, as well as live music, food trucks and more. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. and Sun. — SFChronicle.com, "Events listings," 12 July 2018 Pastelle would have catered to both menswear and women's apparel with a range of color palettes used on items, including clothing, accessories, jewelry, footwear and more. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, "Kanye West's Scrapped Pastelle Line Was 'His University for Fashion'," 10 July 2018 Her jewelry, hairpiece, corsage, purse and even her French manicure were all made from Duck Tape. — Wzzm-tv (grand Rapids), Detroit Free Press, "Michigan teen wears Duck Tape prom dress, wins scholarship," 9 July 2018 Choose from a variety of local fruits and vegetables, poultry, meats, eggs, baked goods, jewelry, sangria and more. — Kerry Plummer, baltimoresun.com, "Dancing for better health [Marriottsville/Sykesville/Woodstock]," 6 July 2018 Art and design sit comfortably together here, including textiles, ceramics, glass, jewelry, furniture, photography and film. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New England museums to visit this summer and fall," 4 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jewelry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.