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.
The French luxury-goods giant said Jean-Marc Duplaix would take the helm of Kering Jewelry with immediate effect.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Jewelry brand Phillips House, which had been selling to Saks for more than a decade, started noticing missed payments in March 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
Jewelry sellers livestreaming on Taobao report surging sales of crystal bracelets and talismans, products that blend fashion with mysticism.
From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025
A store manager for Heller Jewelry declined to comment on the heists.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025
Jewelry lines the glass display case—nothing of value, just cheap-looking costume pieces—along with used lipsticks and half-empty bottles of shaving lotion.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
