This is one of those endlessly debatable questions.
The French quite sensibly have two different words for precious jewelry “bijouterie” and “joiallerie.”
Bijouterie is used to describe pieces that are precious because of their design, beauty, or materials. Joaillerie describes pieces that are precious because of the stones that they are made of. Both are translated in English as “jewellery.”
A piece of jewelry made of copper, plastic and rusty nails can be a “bijou” but not a “joyau.”
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