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.
At the Silverlake Flea Market, I’ve had a lot of luck with jewelry, like I’ve found a lot of really great rings, necklaces, and earrings, or little random other things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Cartier drives the lion’s share of sales at the jewelry maisons unit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
But ultra-pricey jewelry only generates 15% to 25% of Cartier’s sales according to Bernstein luxury analyst, Luca Solca.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
That includes luxury goods like expensive jewelry and art, vacation homes or rental properties, and other bank accounts, stocks and cryptocurrencies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
His mother had found him playing with her jewelry box and trying on her earrings.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
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.
