Jewel beetles are brightly colored, mostly iridescent insects. We also call them metallic wood-boring beetles. In the Victorian era and across a number of native cultures, people used jewel beetles as living jewelry5.

There are over 15,000 jewel beetle species, and their colors vary from metallic blue to black, green, or copper. Some scientists say the iridescence of the beetle is camouflage. Some species of this beetle hide their bright bodies under dull dark carapaces.