The word is derived from the word "jewel", which was anglicised from the Old French "jouel" in around the 13th century. Further tracing leads back to the Latin word "jocale", meaning plaything.

Some cultures have a practice of keeping large amounts of wealth stored in the form of jewellery. Jewellery can also be symbolic, as in the case of Christians wearing a crucifix in the form of jewellery, or, as is the case in many Western cultures, married people wearing a wedding ring.

Jewellery in various forms has been made and worn by both sexes in almost every (if not every) human culture, on every inhabited continent. Personal adornment seems to be a basic human tendency.

Common gemstones that are used include diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and opals. Dozens more are also commonly used.

Other commonly used materials include glass, such as fused glass or enamel; wood, often carved or turned; shells and other natural animal substances such as bone and ivory; and natural clay and plasticine clays, such as polymer clay.

Beads are commonly used in jewellery. These may be made of many different substances including glass, gemstones, wood, shells, clay and polymer clay. Beaded jewellery commonly encompasses necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and belts. Beads may be large or small. The smallest type of beads commonly used are known as seed beads; these are the beads used for the "woven" style of beaded jewellery.

Cleaning can damage some jewelry. For example, some class rings are coated with a dark pigment to reduce their shininess. Ultrasonic cleaning can remove this coating. Also, many gems (such as emerald and pearl) are soft or porous. Cleaning agents can erode or infiltrate these gems. Ultrasonic cleaning is also contraindicated for opals, tanzanite, amber, and any gemstone that reveals a high degree of internal fractures. Examination prior to cleaning is a good practice as ultrasonic cleaning is an aggressive method.

A clean diamond is more brilliant and fiery than the same diamond when it is "dirty". Dirt or grease on the top of a diamond reduces its luster. Water, dirt, or grease on the bottom of a diamond interferes with the diamond's brilliance and fire. Even a thin film absorbs some light that could have been reflected to the person looking at the diamond.

Colored dye or smudges can affect the perceived color of a gem. Historically, some jewellers' diamonds were misgraded due to smudges on the girdle, or dye on the culet. Current practice is to thoroughly clean a gem before grading its color as well as clarity.

Cleanliness does not affect the jewelry's market value, as jewellers routinely clean jewelry before offering it for sale. However, cleanliness might reflect the jewelry's sentimental value: some jewellers have noted a correlation between ring cleanliness and marriage quality.

Coco Chanel set the trend during her years as a designer, bringing costume jewelry to life with gold and faux pearls.

Costume jewelry gets its name from its use in stage costumes. See fashion jewelry

Pennino Brothers Jewelry is one rare, but well known brand of costume jewelry. Country Dutchess is a modern brand of costume jewelry.

Unless you have a Titanium or even Platinum ring you should avoid rubbing against any other metals or hard surfaces. Gold and Silver are both softer metals and it will wear them down. Taking your rings off when working with your hands can help keep the shank strong.

Do not wear necklaces to bed.

As we move and shift in our sleep so does that necklace we are wearing. As the links are rubbing against each other they can slowly wear themselves down. While the effects are usually not visually noticeable, it can cause the necklace to break easier than it would have in more places than just one. If you're finding you're having to take your chain to get soldered quite often it's more likely that your chain is breaking in multiple places and not that the goldsmith who soldered it back together did a shoddy job. Again if you are having a problem with your necklace breaking often do not wear it to bed. Another reason not to would be that it is easy to have it catch on something without you knowing.

Avoid cleaning solutions.

When cleaning, removal of your rings is recommended. Even mild cleaning solutions could possibly have a light corrosive ingredient that may not hurt your skin but will slowly eat away at your rings. You also might want to avoid cleaning solutions with your jewellery because some can cause chemical reactions that will make your jewellery discolor your skin. Some make-up and perfumes have also been known to cause this effect when combined with the alloys present in gold.

Everyday wear...

If wearing multiple bracelets, necklaces, bangles and the such it is not wise to wear them on a daily basis. While they are next to each other as you move they rub against each other and are causing wear. Even deciding to wear your collection once a week opposed to every day could potentially decrease future repair work 7-fold.

The simplest method of home-cleaning is with an un-scented hand soap and a soft bristle tooth brush. With warm soapy water simply brush away with the soft tooth brush. This should remove a good amount of any filmy build-up and let the gold glisten again.

Store bought Jewellery Cleaner.

Jewellery cleaner such as what Independent Jewellers offers is generally in-expensive and lasts a long time. A little more effective than the soap and soft tooth brush method. As per instructions on the Gold Jewellery cleaner bottle
"Simply put jewellery into dip basket and soak it for about a minute, use brush to take out dirt trapped under set stones, rinse, dry, and wear. For stubborn dirt, soak longer"
There are different cleaners available for Gold, Silver, and Pearls. You should only use the cleaner specifically designed for the type of jewellery you intend to clean.

Ultra-Sonic Machine.

Your local Jewellery store should have one. The Ultra-sonic machine is the best method of cleaning jewellery, getting the smallest crevices with ultra-sonic vibrations. In addition to the Ultra-sonic, if you have many little scratches on your jewellery you may want to consider asking your local Jeweller if you can get your rings Buffed as well. This in combination with the Ultra-sonic will make the most worn jewellery appear in an almost brand-new condition.

This journal is available in English and Italian with early issues also available in German. Arabic editions are available from the World Gold Council Dubai office. Copies of articles can be obtained from World Gold Council London and sets of back issues can be purchased. Currently, recent issues are on the World Gold Council website under the jewellery field. It is planned that all back issues will eventually be added. A complete set of Gold Technology is a very useful reference source.

World Gold Council also publishes a scientific journal, Gold Bulletin, which has occasional articles relating to jewellery technology.