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.
Niobium is present in our solar system and is also used on Earth in applications such as jewelry and medical imaging devices.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026
Rush fraudulently obtained $193 million through his scheme, they said, and used it to purchase gold bars, Rolex watches, jewelry, vehicles and luxury properties in Florida.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
A slate of contract manufacturers stretching from Italy to India to Thailand and beyond shape it into jewelry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The Jennifer Meyer shop has reopened in Palisades Village after the 2025 fires, marking a homecoming for the L.A. native jewelry designer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
While his mother was still looking for the last of her jewelry, he had scampered away to the kitchen and spelled NO on the refrigerator.
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.
