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Synonyms

costume jewelry

American  

noun

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


Etymology

Origin of costume jewelry

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

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.

See Examples For:

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.

From Salon Aug. 19, 2025

The initial idea was to showcase her costume jewelry alone, but the museum later asked Apfel to dip into her own wardrobe to style the mannequins that the jewelry would adorn.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 1, 2024

She loved costume jewelry, as well as pieces by the Danish silversmith Georg Jensen and chairs, which she bought in abundance.

From New York Times May 6, 2023

They collected materials from local businesses and assembled small items like toys, costume jewelry, or artificial flowers.

From Textbooks Dec. 14, 2022

L. Einstein & Co. sold costume jewelry, and I worked there through the Christmas holidays and into the spring.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

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