Six Reasons Why

Women Should Not Wear Jewelry

When my students read this they will think I was raised in a cult or maybe among the Amish. But when I was a kid the women in my church did not wear jewelry—none. Though my dad never preached on it my mother lived it, as did every woman in my home church. They read articles about jewelry, heard sermons at camp meeting and listened to the quiet admonition of the older women in the church. In 1967 when Sharon and I were married, we had wedding rings—but we had to slip them on in secret before the reception line passed by us—and everyone glanced at them with astonishment. In 1976 when I took over the job of Executive editor of curriculum for the Wesleyan denomination the art center was still carefully blotting out all earrings and necklaces from the stock photos we used in the Sunday school take home paper Vista. Sure, we’ve mostly “moved past” those days of “legalism” but I want to remind us (or introduce these thoughts to younger people) of the logic of the sermons and articles we got about jewelry. I have a particular purpose in mind that I’ll mention later, but here is what we heard:

1. Jewelry is superfluous.

Jewelry is simply superfluous. It is unnecessary. Why add rings and bracelets and necklaces of gold and silver to what God has created? Nothing is gained for the kingdom of God by adding a chain of pearls to a woman’s neck. We are to be concerned with the kingdom of God first and last and always, not the fancying up ourselves like peacocks. Jewelry is simply not needed and our lives should be sober and simple not fancy and showy. Why do you need it?

2. Jewelry is worldly.

Why do some our women want to put on rings and bracelets and earrings? Is it not because they want to fit in with the world’s standards? Do they want to look like the pagans in order to glorify God or glorify themselves? God called us to come out from among the world and be separate. The desire for worldly adornment is merely a sign of a worldliness—the desire for the leeks of Egypt. God has not called women to be more like the world but more like Him.

3. Jewelry is poor stewardship.

How much money is wasted on purchasing bangles and trinkets and ornaments to decorate a woman’s face and wrists and ears? Why waste this money on the trinkets of mammon? Perhaps some will argue, “but my jewelry is inexpensive costume jewelry.” If that is so then why wear it at all pretending it is something it is not? You are deceiving others into thinking you have gold and silver when it is not. More, your inexpensive costume jewelry may become a snare to a wealthy Christian who will copy your ornaments by purchasing a diamond or gold ring for as much as a thousand dollars—you should not be a snare for other Christian women. If you have a thousand dollars to spend on a ring, shouldn’t you use this money to feed the poor or support the work of God or to send missionaries to faraway places to preach the gospel of Christ? All that you have is God’s; you are not free to squander these gifts on decorating yourself. How can you say, “I can afford it?” What real Christian can afford to spend on themselves what God has given us to further His work? Forego the ring and give the money to missions.

4. Jewelry attracts attention to self.

Why do you want to put on dangling earrings? Is it not to attract attention to yourself? What woman can honestly say her jewels are worn to divert attention from herself and to her God? Quite the contrary, she puts her bangles on to attract attention to herself. Wearing jewelry is promoted by wealthy merchants who make thousands of dollars off the vanity of women who want others to notice and compliment them. A Christian women should attract attention to Christ, not herself.

5. Jewelry distracts from a woman’s true beauty.

What makes a women attractive? It is her spirit of beauty, her deeds of mercy, her compassion, her knowledge of the Word of God and insight into Scripture not her decorations. Women are not objects but God’s creations. Decorating her hair, ears, wrists and fingers with bangles diverts attention from a woman’s real beauty—her heart and attitude and her mind and knowledge of the word. Men should be attracted to women for their ability to teach the Bible, not bangles, bracelets and broaches.

6. Jewelry is condemned by the Bible.

Everything we have thus far said might be argued is an opinion but will you argue with God? If you seek jewelry, seek first the word of God. Did not Saint Paul say in God’s own Holy Word, “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God?” (1 Peter 3:3) These are not some denomination’s rules or traditions but come directly form the word of God. Are these words confusing? “Braided hair”—is that not clear enough? What else can adorning with “Gold or pearls” mean than Gold or pearls? Doesn’t expensive clothes mean what it says so clearly—expensive clothes? What gives you the right to follow one command of the Bible and ignore another? This passage itself should be enough yet did not Saint Paul also join with Peter in instructing women, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4) Is God’s Holy Word not clear at this point? What does Paul mean by braided hair, wearing gold jewelry and fine clothes if he does not mean braided hair, wearing gold jewelry and fine clothes? You say, “But that was in those days and I live today and things are different.” If you say this, where will you stop with this twisting of God’s word? Why not say, “God commanded that we not commit adultery, but that was then, we live in a different age.” Will you say, “Drunkenness was condemned in those times but now things are different and what was once a sin is now OK?” Where will you cease with your dismissal of clear Biblical injunctions and have your own way because you seek to be like the world?

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These are some of the arguments many of us heard in the 1950’s. Since then most of us have found ways to adjust our views and practices about jewelry-wearing and also adjusted our approach to scripture. This column is not really about jewelry—that’s largely a moot issue among my readers (except for a tiny minority). I also don’t want to discuss how many of these matters applied to women and let men off the hook (though nobody raised in the 1960’s will forget how the “long hair” of us guys was roundly condemned scripturally using 1 Corinthians 11:14). I have something else in mind.

Here’s what I think this column asks us now: What does all this say about issues like drinking alcohol, or gambling, lodges, and tobacco? And what does it say about our approach to Scripture—both then and now?

So what do you think?

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Keith Drury January 29, 2008