costume jewelry

noun

1. jewelry made of nonprecious metals, sometimes gold-plated or silver-plated, often set with imitation or semiprecious stones.

Word History and Origins

Origin of costume jewelry¹

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

Under the floorboards of her closet, Smith conceals “glittering refuse I had scavenged from trash bins, fragments of costume jewelry, rosary beads,” along with a blue toothbrush she’s invested with magical powers.

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After two years of mostly small exchanges — cookbook galleys, costume jewelry, a set of dinner plates with just the right heft — we brought home something that, improbably, shifted the cadence of our cooking.

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“It contained well-worn clothes, including a flannel nightgown and a worn-out bra; used makeup; and some costume jewelry...also used. She gave it to me privately and I think she wanted me to be extremely grateful. Instead, I was uncomfortable and wished I hadn't been put in that situation.”

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Playing dress-up at her grandmother’s, where she’d deck herself to the nines in borrowed costume jewelry, she soon found out that what was encouraged by her open-minded family was derided in the outside world.

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Born Aug. 29, 1921, Apfel was famous for her irreverent, eye-catching outfits, mixing haute couture and oversized costume jewelry.

Read more on Seattle Times