A jewel is a precious stone that has been cut and polished to bring out its natural beauty. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires are all jewels. When light hits a well-cut jewel, it sparkles and shines in ways that rough stones pulled straight from the earth never could.

Jewels have fascinated people for thousands of years. Ancient kings and queens wore jewels in their crowns to display their wealth and power. Today, people still treasure jewels in rings, necklaces, and other jewelry. A jeweler is someone who works with these precious stones, either cutting and polishing them or setting them into beautiful pieces.

The word also describes anything extremely valuable or treasured. A beloved book in your collection might be “the jewel of your library.” When someone calls a person “a real jewel,” they mean that person is wonderfully kind or helpful. An architect might describe a beautiful old building as “a jewel of the neighborhood,” meaning it stands out as something special worth preserving and admiring.