Bijou

bijou \BEE-zhoo\ noun

1: a small dainty usually ornamental piece of delicate workmanship : jewel
2: something delicate, elegant, or highly prized

EXAMPLES

Bijoux from around the world will be on exhibit and later auctioned off.

"Bauble Bar has loads of gorgeous bijoux that won't break the bank…. The Radiant Orchid Collar Necklace is among my favorites…." — From an article by Gretta Monahan in the Boston Herald, January 23, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

"Bijou" (which can be pluralized as either "bijoux" or "bijous") has adorned English since the late 17th century.

We borrowed it from French, but the word ultimately traces to Breton, a Celtic language (one closely related to Cornish and Welsh) spoken by inhabitants of the Brittany region of northwest France.

Our modern English word derives from Breton "bizou," which means "ring."

That history makes "bijou" a rare gem in English because, although the Breton people occupied part of England for many years before they were pushed into France by the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th and 6th centuries, very few Breton-derived words remain in our language. (Another Breton descendant is "menhir," a term for a kind of monolith.)