Jewellery

Jewellery or jewelry (/ˈdʒuːᵊlᵊri/) consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes, and the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many centuries metal, often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as shells and other plant materials may be used. It is one of the oldest type of archaeological artefact – with 100,000-year-old beads made from Nassarius shells thought to be the Jewellery or jewelry (/ˈdʒuːᵊlᵊri/) consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes, and the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many centuries metal, often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as shells and other plant materials may be used. It is one of the oldest type of archaeological artefact – with 100,000-year-old beads made from Nassarius shells thought to be the oldest known jewellery. The basic forms of jewellery vary between cultures but are often extremely long-lived; in European cultures the most common forms of jewellery listed above have persisted since ancient times, while other forms such as adornments for the nose or ankle, important in other cultures, are much less common. Historically, the most widespread influence on jewellery in terms of design and style have come from Asia.

Jewellery may be made from a wide range of materials. Gemstones and similar materials such as amber and coral, precious metals, beads, and shells have been widely used, and enamel has often been important. In most cultures jewellery can be understood as a status symbol, for its material properties, its patterns, or for meaningful symbols. Jewellery has been made to adorn nearly every body part, from hairpins to toe rings, and even genital jewellery. The patterns of wearing jewellery between the sexes, and by children and older people can vary greatly between cultures, but adult women have been the most consistent wearers of jewellery; in modern European culture the amount worn by adult males is relatively low compared with other cultures and other periods in European culture.

The word jewellery itself is derived from the word jewel, which was anglicized from the Old French "jouel", and beyond that, to the Latin word "jocale", meaning plaything. In British English, Indian English, New Zealand English, Hiberno-English, Australian English, and South African English it is spelled jewellery, while the spelling is jewelry in American English. Both are used in Canadian English, though jewelry prevails by a two to one margin. In French and a few other European languages the equivalent term, joaillerie there, may also cover decorated metalwork in precious metal such as objets d'art and church items, not just objects worn on the person.

...more

Jewellery Books

Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World

The Complete Metalsmith: An Illustrated Handbook

Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

The Workbench Guide to Jewelry Techniques

Steampunk Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings

Making Bead & Wire Jewelry: Simple Techniques, Stunning Designs

Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present (World of Art)

The Complete Jewelry Making Course: Principles, Practice and Techniques: A Beginner's Course for Aspiring Jewelry Makers

More jewellery books...

Lists

Bhutan Travelog Edition 2 by Joni Herison

Subtitle

543 books — 36 voters

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

Magic Jewelry: Rings, Necklaces, Bracelets, Diadems, etc.

133 books — 5 voters

Glitz, Glam, and a Damn Good Time by Jennifer Wright

The Magic of Crystals and Gems by Cerridwen Greenleaf

The Weird Sister Collection by Marisa Crawford

Bejeweled Covers

5 books — 1 voter

Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison

Ring Box

28 books — 10 voters

The Pretend Christmas Bride by L. Steele

The Unwanted Marriage by Catharina Maura

Lockets

50 books — 9 voters

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Night Night, Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephron

Pearls on the Cover

126 books — 17 voters

Related Genres

Gemstones
Jewels

Featured News & Interviews

New Nonfiction to Read This Women's History Month

Read »

Quotes Tagged “Jewellery”

“ Don't leave a piece of jewelry at his house so you can go back and get it later; he may be with his real girlfriend. ...more ”
― Amy Sedaris, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

1101 likes

“ String several words together in a sentence and you have a language necklace. My I love you would look great with your favorite red dress. ”
― Jarod Kintz, There are Two Typos of People in This World: Those Who Can Edit and Those Who Can't

1 likes

More quotes...