Rivière Revival: The Diamond Necklace That’s Always in Style
Find out how the diamond riviere style evolved, who has worn it on the red carpet and see the best new renditions.
No one knows exactly when riviere diamond necklaces came into being, but there are theories.
Many believe that the diamond choker’s origins date back to 1811 when, in celebration of the birth of their son, Napoleon gifted his second wife, Marie Louise, a jewel composed of 28 round old mine cut diamonds suspending a fringe pattern of large pear-shaped diamonds.
Now part of the Smithsonian’s permanent collection, the Napoleon Diamond Necklace isn’t by strict definition a rivière, but definitely showcases the style roots of the design in terms of its choker necklace element. Not to mention the jewel has clear links to its French name.
Meet the Expert
- Marion Fasel is an esteemed jewelry expert, author, curator, and trend forecaster.
- She is the founder and Editorial Director of The Adventurine online jewelry magazine.
- She is the author of several books, including The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance
What is a Rivière Necklace?
Rivière literally translates to “river”. In jewelry, this loosely means a river of gems. If you are wondering how to pronounce it, the French say ree-vyer; in English, it’s pronounced riv-ee-air.
The style flows like its namesake. A diamond rivière necklace is a continuous line of diamonds, often graduated in size, that gracefully encircles the neck.
The style of riviere diamond necklaces we know today became popular after the 1871 discovery of the Kimberley Mine in South Africa when diamonds flowed into the Western market. Over time, there have been slight variations in its appearance and major differences in how and where it has been worn.
The History of Rivière Necklaces
Great Britain’s Queen Mary had a 100-carat collet-set diamond rivière that was made around 1900 and epitomized the style. During the mid-twentieth century, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II’s chic sister, inherited the jewel and wore it often on its own as well as layered with other jewelry pieces.
In Hollywood during the same era, diamond rivières and strapless gowns became a formula for great eveningwear. In the 1946 film Gilda, Rita Hayworth showed how sexy the riviere necklace accessory could be when she wore one with a black satin number for her flirtatious performance of “Put the Blame on Mame”.
Modern Takes: Street Style to Red Carpet
Today, celebrities are once again wearing diamond rivière diamond necklaces. The list of stars who, for the red carpet, have worn one, two or even layered three diamond rivières includes practically every A-lister (Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence, Zoë Kravitz and Dakota Johnson just to name a few).
Some of the diamond riviere necklaces that have appeared on the red carpet are almost as splashy as the pieces royalty donned in the past. The two Tiffany & Co. diamond necklaces Zoë Kravitz had on at the 2017 Emmys added up to a total cost of around $440,000.
Taylor Swift joined the trend when she wore a Cartier diamond rivière necklace to her Taylor Swift: The Era Tour concert movie premiere while actress Isabelle Huppert packed on layers of De Beers diamond rivières at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Changing the style’s formal reputation, delicate riviere necklaces have been spotted being breezily paired with jeans, t-shirts and even athleisure by celebrities, stylists and jewelry designers among others. Behati Prinsloo and Gigi Hadid have both been spotted in their Jacquie Aiche diamond rivières in casual street style mode.
Alternative Names and Common Misconceptions
With all of the modern ways to sport a rivière, there has been something of a name change—or make that expansion—on the original French moniker. One revision, albeit unintentional, is the mispronunciation as riviera (riv-ee-air-uh), which wrongfully conjures the French Riviera on the Mediterranean. To work around the pronunciation issue, some jewelry designers have rechristened diamond rivieres with completely new names.
One popular alternative is diamond eternity necklace. The reference to “eternity” comes from diamond eternity bands. There are also designers that just skirt the pronunciation or new names entirely by simply naming their diamond rivières, necklaces or chokers.
No matter what you call them, the diamond jewels are a treasure to add to any collection. They look spectacular worn alone or as layered necklaces. The style provides a radiance that is something akin to walking around with your own ring light, but far more magical.
