Collier

Collier is a term that may refer to several distinct things in English. As a historical occupation, a collier was a coal miner, especially in Britain and coal regions in the 18th–19th centuries. The term appears in historical records, trade documents, and census material describing workers in the coal industry.

As a piece of jewelry, collier denotes a necklace or collar-like ornament. In jewelry catalogs and older English texts, a collier is a necklace that sits close to the throat, or a collarpiece. In modern usage the word is largely archaic or literary; the more common term today is "necklace" or "collar."

In addition, collier is a surname and occurs in place names and other proper nouns. The word derives from Old French collier, with different branches of meaning—one connected with coal mining and one connected with the neck/collar.

In summary, collier may refer to a coal miner, a type of necklace, or as a surname and to various proper-name uses. See also coal miner, necklace, jewelry terminology, and Collier (surname).