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First let us paint a picture together.

Think of an individual whom wears clothes (like the lot of us); this individual also has an item around the wrist, which is not an item that affixes to another item (i.e. an accessory)

  • Accessory: Noun | A thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive.

Also this item around this individual's wrist is not designed to enhance the aesthetic value of said person (i.e. jewelry)

  • Jewelry: Noun | Personal ornaments, such as necklaces, rings, or bracelets, that are typically made from or contain jewels and precious metal.

  • Ornament: Noun | A thing used to adorn something but usually having no practical purpose Adorn: Verb | Make more beautiful or attractive.

What then may I call it? Is there no word that defines an object worn, that is not clothing, not an accessory to another object, and is not an aesthetic enhancing piece of jewelry?

Think of a tool, but a tool that is designed to be worn on the body, not a tool that can be used off body of the wearer.

An example might be like how in a game an character has an extra item on their character that is designed to enhance the player in some measure; be that via magical endowment, status augmentation, etc...

We often think of jewelry in this example (earrings, necklaces, rings). But what if the piece of jewelry was hidden from sight, (under clothing) and not design for aesthetic purposes. At this point it is no longer jewelry.

Or, maybe, as I am writing this, the word accessory is the correct word! As what the accessory is being affixed to is the human body itself... (well I'm going to go ahead and post this question to see if anyone else may know of a better word.)

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  • 20 to 30 years ago I heard the term wrister, meaning gadget-on-wrist; it hasn't caught on except in usual fingerless-glove meaning
    – James Waldby - jwpat7
    Mar 11, 2013 at 20:14

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Accessory fits well, because the object is worn in addition to the regular clothing. If you insist, there are other words like accouterments, trappings and paraphernalia, but the meaning is more or less the same.

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  • Accouterments was the perfect word I was looking for!
    – user23426
    Mar 11, 2013 at 20:35
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    In the UK you can definitely use "accessory" and everyone would understand you. Fashion magazines talk about "accessorising" when they mean adding bracelets / belts / broaches /necklaces /hats etc to your outfit and there is a large chain of stores that sell these items called "Accessorize". I would also say that jewelry is a subset of accessories---you could happily use either to describe earrings, rings, bracelets, etc.
    – FakeDIY
    Mar 12, 2013 at 16:44
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You can include the type of accessory with a descriptive label such as:

  • Decoder Ring
  • Invisibility Necklace
  • Blow-torch Wrist Band
  • Shape-shifting Scarf
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