The proper vintage Georgian diamond rivière is an merchandise that graces many jewellery lovers’ final jewellery bucket lists. I’d in all probability commerce a non-essential organ for this one.
First issues first: what’s a rivière?
A rivière is an iconic type of necklace that contains a steady line of diamonds, set one after one other like a river of valuable stones (thus the title). I’d argue that the basic diamond tennis necklace is a contemporary reinterpretation of this design, a subset of the rivière.
The rivière is the little black costume of the necklace world, an infinitely versatile piece that may go together with something. Vintage ones are more and more uncommon and particularly fascinating to collectors – you could recall how ecstatic I used to be after I managed to attain an vintage paste rivière of comparable design at public sale (discover that story right here: Half 1, Half 2).
Some rivières are constant in stone dimension all the way in which round, whereas others, like this one, are graduated, that includes stones that get bigger in the direction of the entrance.
This superb Georgian diamond rivière necklace is at the moment accessible from Hancocks London. It dates to 1820 and might be the largest one I’ve ever seen exterior of a museum, with 110 carats of outdated mine sensible reduce diamonds in basic Georgian period cut-down collet settings.
This unimaginable necklace is much more than meets the attention: it has discreet hooks on the again of every collet to permit the size to be adjusted. How implausible is that?? Even higher, the hooks might as soon as have suspended diamond drips or pendeloques, making it much more glamorous.
These possible pendeloques imply this piece has a really well-known twin. Managing Director of Hancocks London, Man Burton, says that the piece is “is certainly one of many best diamond rivière necklaces we’ve ever supplied on the market” and provides that this piece bears a putting resemblance to the well-known Napoleon Diamond necklace, at the moment within the Smithsonian.
Chances are you’ll acknowledge the collet settings – that are silver-fronted and gold-backed – from the second the type is having in modern jewellery, like Zoe Kravitz’s Jessica McCormack engagement ring.
Yet one more look so that you’ll see it clearly in your desires, too.
Click on right here to search out this magnificent Georgian diamond rivière necklace at Hancocks, or see an inventory of different accessible rivières I’ve rounded up for you right here.
Photos and data c/o Hancocks London.
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