Collectively, personal ornamentation such as rings, necklaces, brooches and bracelets, made of precious metals and sometimes set with gemstones.
"She carefully arranged her antique jewellery on the velvet tray before placing it in the safety deposit box."
In plain English: Jewellery is decorative items made of precious metals and stones that people wear on their bodies.
"She carefully placed her favourite jewellery in the velvet box before leaving for work."
Usage: Use "jewellery" to refer collectively to decorative items like rings and necklaces made of precious metals or stones. This spelling is standard in British English, while American English typically uses the variant "jewelry."
The word jewellery comes from the Middle English term juelrye, which was borrowed directly from Old French. It originally combined the root for "jewel" with a suffix meaning "the place or business of," effectively describing goods made of jewels.