costume jewelry

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of costume jewelry

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

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

Birrittieri-Parente, a single parent who appreciates the bargains offered by sites like Marketplace, has accumulated more than 90 pieces of costume jewelry.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2023

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

I certainly didn’t need another piece of costume jewelry, or a candy-flavored lip gloss, or a new CD at the mall.

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda