Diamond necklaces
PostBy Avi Paz Group At 07.11.2010
Diamond jewelry of all kinds has always had a special charm and mystique, but there is something particularly enchanting about a diamond necklace. Perhaps its special appeal can be attributed to the fact that more diamonds are required to make a necklace than to make other articles of jewelry. Maybe diamond necklaces retain their allure from the period when they accentuated the only exposed areas of a woman's body, her neck and bust. Or maybe we're touched by the fact that necklaces sit close to the heart.
Whatever the reason, diamond necklaces were and remain coveted jewels. Modern jewelers all over the world are busy crafting stunning diamond necklaces from brilliants as well as from colored fancies, sometimes bespoke pieces. But customers who want diamonds around their neck but cannot afford a necklace containing dozens or hundreds of carats of diamonds still have a multitude of options. Diamond pendants in any and every shape conceivable are available in a combination of diamonds and precious metals, or diamonds and other precious or semi-precious stones. Diamond solitaire pendants remain a classic style of diamond jewelry, suitable for any age.
Since not everyone can wear earrings, and a diamond ring might not always be an appropriate present, a diamond necklace – whether an understated, subtle solitaire pendant or a red carpet piece worth millions – makes the perfect gift.
Some of the most famous pieces of diamond jewelry, real and fictional, are necklaces:
Marie Antoinette's diamond necklace: In 1778, Louis XVI offered Marie Antoinette an elaborate necklace his father had bought for his mistress, Madame du Barry. The queen refused it. Some years later a con woman named Jeanne de la Motte stole the necklace, pretending to be purchasing it in Marie's name, which led to a scandal in which the queen was accused of attempting to defraud the crown jewelers. The Affair of the Necklace is generally considered one of the major causes of popular disillusionment with the French monarchy in the years leading up to the French Revolution.
Queen Victoria's diamond necklace: In 1857 Victoria commissioned her jewelers to make copies of certain heirloom jewels she was forced to give the Duke of Cumberland. On her instructions, they deconstructed two Garter badges and a sword hilt and used their stones to make the queen a necklace of 25 cushion shaped diamonds in settings of gold and silver with a central pear-shaped diamond pendant set in platinum. The jewelers also made her a matching earring set.
"Heart of the Ocean" necklace from Titanic: The fictional jewel central to the film's plot was modeled on the Hope Diamond, which has no connection to the Titanic. However, the film took such hold of the public's imagination that the jewelers Asprey and Garrard were prompted to make a real Heart of the Ocean necklace out of sixty-five 30 carat diamonds surrounding a 170 carat sapphire. The real Heart of the Ocean necklace sold for $2.2 million at a charity auction.
