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)

Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry

More jewellery books...

Lists

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

Ghost Beyond the Garden by Lynn Blankman

Magic Jewelry

28 books — 11 voters

Jewellery - Diamonds, Gold and Stones on Covers

371 books — 141 voters

The Warner Loughlin Technique by Warner Loughlin

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.

Coming to Terms with Experience through Writing, Scott Oury by Scott Oury

Best Instructional Books for Learning Art Forms

207 books — 49 voters

Ring Covers (no people)

81 books — 6 voters

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

A String of Pearls

164 books — 10 voters

Avedon Fashion 1944-2000 by Carol Squiers

T-Shirts, Purses, Corsets, Panties, Hats, Glasses, Gloves, Jewelry, Uniforms, Shoes, Brassieres, Boutiques, And Fashions Unique

186 books — 30 voters

Related Genres

Gemstones
Jewels

Featured News & Interviews

80 Horror Novels Set in Creepy Places (Your House, Deep Space, the Sea...)

Read »

Quotes Tagged “Jewellery”

“ Unlike diamonds, watches were practical. They were for people on the run, people with appointments to keep and schedules to meet. ”
― Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

23 likes

“ Jewelry takes people's minds off your wrinkles ...more ”
― Sarah Phillips

19 likes

More quotes...