Adventist teaching: Yes
Biblical teaching: No
Ellen G. White claimed that gold jewelry, lace and bracelets were idols and those that wear them had a “weak head”. She even claimed that abstaining from jewelry of every kind was a Christian duty and part of the keeping with the faith.
Because the writings of Ellen G. White are seen as divinely inspired and they correct inaccurate interpretations of scripture, the Adventist Church upholds these statements as being just as authoritative as the Bible.
The typical argument they will try and give to support this is 1 Peter 3:3-5 and 1 Timothy 2:9-10. But, contextually, both Peter and Paul are not condemning jewelry or braided hair outright, as though those things are inherently bad or sinful, but are pointing out that a woman’s true beauty should come from within, not be something manufactured externally.
Despite this prohibition by Ellen White, she herself did not adhere to her own prohibitions of jewelry.
Biblical passages that show individuals within scripture wearing jewelry but aren’t condemned for it include Joseph in Genesis 41:42, Rebekah in Genesis 24:52-53, Israelite women in Isaiah 3:16-23, and Daniel in Daniel 5:29.
Jewelry is not inherently sinful or wrong nor does the Bible say that it is.
