He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked:

A man provided his wife with costly adornments, such as worked gold and silver, jewellery, necklaces and similar items, beyond the value of her clothing provision. She requested a divorce in exchange for compensation, while he owed her a considerable sum. He asked her for some jewellery to help him meet his obligations to her or other expenses, but she denied it. He knows that she will swear an oath and retain the items he says are in her possession, while he remains liable for the price. He has no evidence against her. What is the ruling?

He answered:

If he gave her these items beyond what he was obliged to provide, intending to transfer ownership to her, they became her property. If he then initiates the divorce, he has no right to demand them back.

However, if she is the one who dislikes remaining with him and seeks a divorce in exchange for compensation, she should return those items and the dowry he paid her, and relinquish the balance he still owes her, so that he may grant her that divorce. This accords with the established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in the case of {the wife of Thābit ibn Qays ibn Shammās, whom he instructed to return what her husband had given her}.

But if he provided these things for her to adorn herself with—just as he might let her ride his animal or place his slave at her service, and the like—without transferring ownership of the items themselves, they remain his property, and he is entitled to reclaim them