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A lavalier is a chain type necklace that ends in one large size pendant or tassel. Sometimes there may be additional smaller pendants dangling from the main stone. In the 1600's the lavalier got its name from Louise de La Vallière , a mistress of Louis XIV who often wore them.
The lavalier was popular from 1900 to 1930 as the delicacy of the lavalier was a perfect match to the pastel toned fashion trends of the Edwardian Era. In the 1930's colours became bolder, with the use of more expensive materials such as gold and emeralds.
The influence of Art Nouveau style imagery could be seen in the lavaliers which sometimes featured peacocks, viking ships and wistful maidens.
L to R: Amethyst and seed pearl lavalier, Edwardian sapphire and 9 carat gold lavalier, Victorian 14 carat gold and enamelled tassel lavalier
A festoon necklace is often wrongly identified but should have swags or drapes of chain, beads or metal parts forming the design. The definition of festoon is a garland or wreath hanging from two points. In architecture a festoon relates to a carved ornament depicting an arrangement of fruit or foliage suspended by ribbons. The "Dagmar Necklace" originally made for Queen Alexandra of Denmark and bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth on her accession to the throne in 1952 is a famous festoon vintage necklace. L to R: Amethyst Victorian festoon chain necklace, Amethyst and pearl silver festoon necklace and Art Nouveau green Chrysoprase festoon necklace
The Queen of Romania's famous sautoir created by Cartier in 1919 had a massive 478 carat sapphire drop. Then there was Van Cleef and Arpels Heritage platinum sautoir made in 1933, which featured 10.06 carats of diamonds and two grey pearls.
L to R : Czech glass red crystal sautoir, Chanel green crystal link sautoir Art Deco -Green crystal sautoir
A choker is a short length necklace that is worn closely around the neck. They can be made of a range of materials, including beads, velvet, leather and metal, such as gold, silver or platinum. Vintage chokers were often made of pearls , diamante crystals, or glass beads. Chokers were particularly fashionable from the late 19th century to the 1920's and again in the 40's as "colliers de chien" or dog collars.
L to R : Crystal rhinestone choker , Jewelcraft crystal choker, and Danish silver NE From necklace
The rivière necklace is a short style necklace (commonly 14 to 16 inches) simply strung with a line of faceted rhinestones or gemstones often graduating in size. Historically the gems were set in individual collets and later in prong or claw settings .
The name "riviere" translates to “river” in French, in reference to the way the necklace flows gracefully around the neck. When the style first developed in the early 18th century, the settings were generally closed-back. Later versions of the necklace had open back settings to allow the light to penetrate giving the effect of a shining, continuous stream around the neck.
Some very ornate examples have additional gemstones suspended from the main necklace. The riviere necklace was a vintage jewellery style favoured by the Vogue editor Anna Wintour who often wore several of these necklaces at the same time. Station necklaces with gems set on a chain are a more modern variation of this necklace L to R: Antique amethyst and gold riviere necklace, fine diamond riviere necklace, and violet crystal riviere necklace
A locket is a pendant necklace with a chain and openable compartment. Lockets were popular in Victorian times and were sentimental items often used to store mementoes such a small portrait or locket of a loved ones hair. The came in many shapes such as oval, circles, or hearts and were generally made of sterling silver or gold . They were often engraved . Keepsake lockets were sometimes made with a glass pane at the front so the wearer could see what was inside without the need to open it and potentially lose the locket of hair.
L to R: Vintage silver engraved locket Joseph Smith, and 1979 sterling silver locket
The term Bayadere relates to a style of braided necklace made from strings or strands of beads (often seed pearls), which were twisted together. They were very popular during the 18th century. Some of these necklaces had a single pendant or tassel .The other name for this is a "rope" necklace. L to R: Three antique seed pearl bayadere necklaces
The bib necklace is constructed with a substantial band that is wider at the front and tapers towards the back. It is generally made with different rows of beads or gemstones and it sits quite high up on the neck near the collar bone.
Bib necklaces are large statement pieces and they can be made from a variety of materials including silver, gold, gemstones, crystals and glass beads. The Duchess of Windsor Wallace Simpson commissioned a beautiful amethyst bib necklace from Cartier in 1947. L to R: Green rhinestone crystal vintage bib necklace, Egyptian revival bib necklace , vintage crystal and pearl bib necklace
The negligee necklace is a twist on the lavalier. It comprise a chain type necklace with a pair of asymmetrical pendants dangling from unequal lengths of fine chain, which are often connected to a thin bar. The pendants could be gemstones such as rubies, diamonds or sapphires , a combination of two different stones, or sometimes pearls.The negligee necklace was popular during the Edwardian era.
L to R: Edwardian pearl and diamond negligee necklace, Antique rose quartz and moonstone necklace , blue topaz, pearl and 9 carat gold negligee necklace
A collar necklace is a necklace that lies flat to the body rather than a more free style hanging necklace. They are usually short lengths of around 14 inches. They can be costume jewellery or fine jewellery. Materials can range from solid gold collars set with gemstones and sleek sterling silver collar necklaces to rhinestone statement collars that are several inches wide. The name "collier" the French word for collar is also used for this necklace type. Half collar necklaces are a variation of the collar without completely encircling the neck. L to R: Chunky gold tone collar necklace , vintage modernist flat gold tone collar necklace, Mexican silver and tigers eye half collar necklace
A lariat necklace forms a loop secured with a knot that allows it to slide without coming apart. It has no specific clasp and can be worn in different styles. The ends can simply be tied together or it could be wrapped around the neck and then tied. They can be thin and elegant or chunky and statement like. In some cases lariat necklaces have a sliding clasp so they can be worn in a manner similar to a bolo tie. They are long necklaces and generally require to be at least 30 inches to allow them to be tied or wrapped. L to R:Miriam Haskell baroque pearl gilt chain necklace, 1950's red glass bead lariat, Art Deco crystal lariat necklace
This is a metal chain with links of rectangular folded metal with each link looking a bit like a book. Victorian-era book chain jewellery is made of engraved rectangular links that look like very small books. Large lockets were sometimes included for a more elaborate touch. Any chain that has flat rectangular links can be considered a book chain necklace and they are often used as part of fringe type necklaces. These necklaces were in fashion during the Victorian era and into the early twentieth century. L to R: Brass book chain necklace with Bakelite beads 1930's, Victorian silver etched book chain necklace with locket 1893, and Victorian garnet gold filled book chain necklace
With this type of necklace the size of the beads get larger as they approach the front part of the necklace. Sometimes there are small beads or spacers in between the main beads. The graduated bead necklace is all about the change from small beads to larger beads - the beads themselves are all the same style. L to R:Turquoise graduated bead necklace, 1930'S Austrian black glass bead necklace, Natural aquamarine beads
A fringed necklace is made of a main round chain with a type of fringe around the front. This can be all one length or it can be a graduated fringe. The last row of beads used to make the necklace is always free flowing. The attachment occurs at the top part of the necklace. Historically the fringe necklace is a very old style and has tribal roots. L to R:Hobe vintage Bakelite fringe necklace, Czech Art Glass choker fringe necklace, vintage Coro glass bead fringe necklace
This necklace comprises 3 strands of beads. These beads can be anything from crystals to pearls, plastic or stone. The only requirement is that it must be three strands. These necklaces were particularly popular in the 1950's when triple strand pearl necklaces were in fashion. L to R:Triple strand pearl necklace , green bead triple strand necklace, and 1950's aurora borealis bead triple strand necklace
The name pendant comes from the French word pendre, which means “to hang.” When an ornament is allowed to hang freely from a necklace it becomes a pendant. Early types of pendants were used as talismen to protect the wearer from harm, and most ancient and modern cultures have a version of this type of necklace. Religious symbols were often incorporated into pendants. Pendants can be made of different types of materials including chain, leather, ribbon and cord. The pendant itself can be made from any material including metals, glass, and gemstones. They can be any size from delicate and tiny to large statement pendants. L to R: Antique art deco pendant , art Nouveau turquoise and pearl pendant, and vintage Trifari gold tone pendant
Chain necklaces are generally made of durable materials such as gold, silver or stainless steel. Chains can be plain or decorated with beads or pendants. There are many different style of chain necklaces including belcher chains, figaro chains, snake chains, marino chains, and curb chains to name just a few. Fine chains are often worn with pendants or for layering purposes , while solid decorative chains are worn alone.
L to R: H Rasmussen silver chain necklace , solid Mexican silver curb chain 109 grams and silver rope chain necklace
CHOKER NECKLACES are generally between 14 to 16 inches in length, ( 35 to 41 cm long) . The 16 inch choker necklace is a very popular length. It is flattering to most women and sits directly against the clavicle.
PRINCESS NECKLACES are generally around 18 inches ( 46 cm long).They are longer than chokers necklaces but shorter than matinee necklaces. The princess necklace is thought to be a universally flattering style with any pendant or focal point sitting just below the collar bone.
MATINEE NECKLACES. The average length of a matinee necklace is 22 inches (56 cm) sitting below the collar bone, and just above or to the centre of the bust. This necklace can be worn by itself or layered with other shorter style necklaces. Matinee necklaces work well with high necklines.
OPERA NECKLACES are generally between 28 to 36 inches (71 to 91 cm). They fall just below the bust and above the waist. They are versatile items as they can be looped around the neck twice to work as choker if desired.
ROPE NECKLACES are generally 36 inches (91 cm) in length or longer. They can be wrapped around to sit on or just below the centre of the chest.
Related Reading: The Top Jewellery Trends for 2022
An illustrated guide to all the different types of beaded necklaces.
