Not pej. prison slang term for "jewellery"?

Question

Dear Native Speakers of English,It's an unlikely question to pose I know but I need to find such a term and, apart from "bling" which, according to certain definitions, refers to cheap jewellery and therefore is not an option, despite my search on the internet, I have found nothing. Could you, please, respond to me if you know such a term, or point me in the right direction? Thank you very much!

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

I don't think jewelry is allowed in prisons.  An inmate's personal effects are collected when they enter, and returned when they are released.

Blue Jay · Answer

I asked a prison guard and a police officer this question, and they both replied bling. They were unable to suggest an alternative.
Ice specifically refers to diamonds, but its use may be extended to jewelry in general.

GPY · Answer

Apparently there is a rhyming slang term "tom" ( = tomfoolery = jewellery).

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=W6p_96YlCIgC&pg=PA115

Prison Patter: A Dictionary of Prison Words and Slang

I imagine this is British only. I mention it for interest; I'm not necessarily suggesting that it is suitable for your purposes.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you, AlpheccaStars, for your observation!

Blue Jay, thank you very much!!

I haven't read that ice can be used in general as well, super!

GPY, I've seen it here and there online, and yes, its use seems to be limited, but thanks!

Englishmaven · Answer

I'm not sure I understand the question. Would you please clarify it for me? Do you need something that is not a pejorative, prison term because you are writing a letter about the jewelry to a prisoner? Or did you merely want to avoid the term "bling," which you think is a pejorative prison term?

Why can't you use "jewelry"? Are you trying to avoid revealing what a gift of jewelry is? I really don't understand the question.

There is fine jewelry that is not as expensive as gold and diamonds, yet is not cheap jewelry, either. It is called "costume jewelry."

You could go with the name of the actual item: bracelet, ring, earrings, anklet, pendant, cameo, pearls, necklace, etc.

I'm still not sure what the question is. Maybe you can tell us more about what you need.

Anonymous · Answer

This is an interesting question. I'm a native English speaker in the US and something like this have never been brought to my attention before. I would conjecture that the word - or word for - "jewelry" would never be used in a prison environment except in the following type of exchange:

A: What are you in for?
B: I knocked off a jewelry store.

But "jewelry store" sounds a little too ordinary for prison speak. So, in the big house, something else surely must be used in place of the word "jewelry." What? I'm just guessing here, but maybe one of the following:

chain

ring

clock

necklace

Not pej. prison slang term for "jewellery"?

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