jewellery

jewellery — noun

1. Small attractive items like rings, necklaces, and earrings that people wear on t

1.nounA2
Definition

Small attractive items like rings, necklaces, and earrings that people wear on their body to look nice. Jewellery is often made of valuable things including precious metals and gems.

Example

Priya wore her grandmother's gold jewellery at the wedding party.

collocation: gold jewellery / silver jewellery

The small shop sells silver jewellery and colourful bracelets.

Common collocations
  • gold jewellery
  • silver jewellery
  • wear jewellery
  • a piece of jewellery
  • expensive jewellery
  • costume jewellery
Synonyms
  • jewelry

    American English spelling of the same word

  • ornaments

    broader category that includes both wearable items and home decorations

  • gems

    refers specifically to cut precious stones, not the finished item

  • accessories

    wider category including jewellery, bags, scarves, and belts

Usage Note

Jewellery is an uncountable noun in British English, so it does not have a plural form and cannot be used with 'a' or 'an'. To count individual items, use 'a piece of jewellery' or 'some jewellery'. The American English spelling is 'jewelry'.

Common Mistakes

She bought a jewellery from the shop.
She bought some jewellery from the shop.
jewellery is uncountable and cannot follow 'a'.
She bought three jewelries.
She bought three pieces of jewellery.
use 'pieces of jewellery' to count individual items.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Jewellery (British) and jewelry (American) are the standard terms for wearable decorative items made from valuable materials. 'Ornaments' is a wider category that includes both wearable items and decorative objects for the home, such as Christmas ornaments or ceramic figures. 'Accessories' is broader still, covering jewellery, handbags, scarves, belts, and hats — anything added to an outfit for style. 'Gems' (or gemstones) refers specifically to cut and polished precious stones, not the finished piece of jewellery itself. For example, 'She keeps her gold jewellery in a safe' sounds natural, while 'She keeps her gold gems in a safe' sounds odd — gems are the raw stones, not the necklace or ring. Use 'jewellery' or 'jewelry' for everyday talking about rings, necklaces, and earrings.

jewellery ↗jewelry ↗ornamentsaccessoriesgems

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a piece of jewellery
  • a jewellery box
  • jewellery shop
  • costume jewellery

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'jewellery' comes from Old French 'jouel' meaning a precious object, which in turn comes from Latin 'jocus' meaning 'play' or 'game' — the same root that gives us 'joke'. This is because precious objects were associated with pleasure and entertainment. The word entered English in the 1200s, and the spelling 'jewellery' (with double 'l') became standard in British English, while 'jewelry' is the American spelling.