Mar 10, 2005 21:55
19 yrs ago
7 viewers *
French term
bijouterie / joaillerie
French to English
Bus/Financial
Marketing
luxury goods
What is the difference? The CFHBJO (French Watch, Clock, Jewelry and Silverware Center) don't make a distinction themselves and translate bijouterie/joaillerie as just plain jewelry.
Is it costume jewelry (usually bijouterie de fantaisie)?
Is it costume jewelry (usually bijouterie de fantaisie)?
Proposed translations
(English)
4 +1 | difference | Bourth (X) |
4 +2 | jewellery | Sandra C. |
5 | costume jewellery/jewellery | Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X) |
Proposed translations
+1
1 hr
Selected
difference
You're a gem, Amanda! Quel joyau de question!
There you have it in a nutshell (mind you, I could have said "quel bijou!"). A joailler fits gemstones (joyaux) into jewellery (bijoux), which need not have gemstones. So there is an element of costume/precious jewellery, but it's not confined to that since in principle "joaillerie" has gemstones while a "bijou" could be simply a (worked) ornamental metal object (gold band, silver necklace, etc.), and not necessarily even precious metal, or metal at all, for that matter.
Bref:
joaillerie = ornamental objects (preferably of precious metals) fitted with precious stones;
bijouterie = ornamental objects, preferably of precious metals, with or without precious stones (?)
And as others have said, we say "jewellery" for both. Things are further complicated in French by the fact that an "orfèvre" (orfèvre-joaillier or orfèvre-bijoutier, as opposed to the orfèvre who makes silver tableware) can make bijoux and set joyaux into them!
While a Frenchman, in the good old days of wind-up watches with jewels for bearings, took his watch to his high-street "horloger", we took ours to the nearest jeweller, so in English the term covers yet another field. "Only a jeweller can sell an Edo*".
There you have it in a nutshell (mind you, I could have said "quel bijou!"). A joailler fits gemstones (joyaux) into jewellery (bijoux), which need not have gemstones. So there is an element of costume/precious jewellery, but it's not confined to that since in principle "joaillerie" has gemstones while a "bijou" could be simply a (worked) ornamental metal object (gold band, silver necklace, etc.), and not necessarily even precious metal, or metal at all, for that matter.
Bref:
joaillerie = ornamental objects (preferably of precious metals) fitted with precious stones;
bijouterie = ornamental objects, preferably of precious metals, with or without precious stones (?)
And as others have said, we say "jewellery" for both. Things are further complicated in French by the fact that an "orfèvre" (orfèvre-joaillier or orfèvre-bijoutier, as opposed to the orfèvre who makes silver tableware) can make bijoux and set joyaux into them!
While a Frenchman, in the good old days of wind-up watches with jewels for bearings, took his watch to his high-street "horloger", we took ours to the nearest jeweller, so in English the term covers yet another field. "Only a jeweller can sell an Edo*".
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Philippe C. (X)
9 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I asked for the difference, and I got the difference. Thank you so much, for reading the Q, and answering so well!"
+2
4 mins
jewellery
they're both translated into jewellery
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Gaelle THIBAULT
49 mins
|
merci
|
|
agree |
Carmen Schultz
: Ditto. If translating for USA, spell it "jewelry" (for UK, etc.: jewellery)
55 mins
|
merci
|
1 hr
costume jewellery/jewellery
Declined
Elementary, my dear Watson...it is simply costume versus real...
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Note added at 1 hr 51 mins (2005-03-10 23:46:46 GMT)
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haute joallerie= designer jewellery...
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Note added at 16 hrs 45 mins (2005-03-11 14:40:41 GMT) Post-grading
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Bijouterie is bijouterie. If they choose to make it out of 18 k gold, frankly, they are messing with their own language traditions. You can always dress up the term in English. There are all sorts of marketing terms that could be used in English. Furthermore, you really didn\'t give much context. For example, one could say: costume-style jewellery...I find that in English, they say the stuff of which it is made.....gold costume jewellery..but many ways could be found to say that they are making glittzy items in the stye of costume jewellery...I agree with Bourth completely..but do not agree that there is not a way to say something else in English ....
classic and costume-style jewellery ....for example..
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Note added at 1 hr 51 mins (2005-03-10 23:46:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
haute joallerie= designer jewellery...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs 45 mins (2005-03-11 14:40:41 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Bijouterie is bijouterie. If they choose to make it out of 18 k gold, frankly, they are messing with their own language traditions. You can always dress up the term in English. There are all sorts of marketing terms that could be used in English. Furthermore, you really didn\'t give much context. For example, one could say: costume-style jewellery...I find that in English, they say the stuff of which it is made.....gold costume jewellery..but many ways could be found to say that they are making glittzy items in the stye of costume jewellery...I agree with Bourth completely..but do not agree that there is not a way to say something else in English ....
classic and costume-style jewellery ....for example..
Comment: "I don't think the company in my doc would appreciate me calling 18 k gold rings "costume jewelry"! Not so elementary, it turns out..."
Discussion