jewelry
Americannoun
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articles of gold, silver, precious stones, etc., for personal adornment.
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any ornaments for personal adornment, as necklaces or cuff links, including those of base metals, glass, plastic, or the like.
Etymology
Origin of jewelry
1300–50; Middle English juelrie < Anglo-French juelerie, equivalent to juel jewel + -erie -ery
Explanation
Jewelry refers to an adornment (generally precious metal or stone) worn by a person, like a bracelet, ring, necklace, or earrings. Jewelry may be purely decorative, or it may express something — like a ring that says you are married. Humans have been in the jewelry business for a long time: A shell bracelet, or necklace was found in a cave in South Africa that dates back 75,000 years. Both a diamond ring from Tiffany’s and a handmade beaded bracelet are jewelry, but whether the jewel in jewelry is real or imitation, it is always spelled out. More than one piece of jewelry is still the same word.
Vocabulary lists containing jewelry
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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In A Sedimental Mood: Rock and Gem Vocabulary
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List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Retailers selling everything from jewelry to makeup beat analysts’ first-quarter earnings forecasts,” she said.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Parts of the jewelry market appear to be softening, and people are, understandably, more security-conscious about where they wear their watches and rocks.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
Other recent events have focused on “lost arts,” including sewing, knitting and jewelry making, in which Edenwald residents have offered instruction and bins of yarn.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
“It’s about more than just the jewelry, it’s the brand,” she told the Wall Street Journal in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Abina's gorgeous braids were threaded with jewelry and her smile reminded Ella of Reagan's, so she tried again.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
