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

The GardaWorld episode comes nearly two years after another high-profile Southern California heist: the multimillion-dollar theft of jewelry from a Brink’s big rig at a Grapevine truck stop. —Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024

Thieves had broken into their Southern California home last spring and cleaned out a safe full of jewelry. —Josh Campbell, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

The alleged heist is said to be one of the largest in Southern California and comes two years after the multimillion-dollar theft of jewelry and gemstones from a Brink's tractor-trailer while the driver was inside asleep. —Andrew Blankstein, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

The showroom is by appointment only, and those who book can also schedule a consultation with the designers for the creation of custom jewelry. —Caitie Kelly Lindsey Tramuta Lauren Cochrane Angela Koh Laura Bannister Gisela Williams, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

The teachers claimed there were no janitorial services or medical staff and that forks, jewelry and clothes that weren’t black or designed by West were banned. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024

The beautiful piece of jewelry features an 18-carat yellow gold band. —Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024

In addition to being a National Historic Landmark, the plaza, or city square, is still where Native American vendors go to sell traditional jewelry and artwork in front of the New Mexico History Museum. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024

Use it as a serving, jewelry, perfume, makeup, coffee, tea, or trinket tray. —Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024

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