The General Effect
Being the most prominent article of personal adornment, the necklace requires considerate care. Poorly chosen for the particular individual—no matter how attractive the jewel in itself—it may make a woman seem overdressed. Stones of the wrong color may make her skin look sallow. A heedlessly selected style may emphasize wrinkles in the neck. With proper thought, however, the right necklace, well fitted, not only presents its own beauty but adds youth and beauty to the chinline and neck of the wearer.
The saying that a woman is as old as she looks gains further truth from the powers of jewelry to contribute to the color of the skin and the lines of the body. The lines that curve upward from the shoulders to the head have much to do with the general impression of youthfulness, vigor and health, or of drab weariness, fatigue, and age. And it is along these lines that even the most beautiful woman draws on the aid of the necklace and seeks not just the beautiful but the beautifying jewel.
The Diamond Necklace
The sparkle of the diamond necklace suits any complexion and enhances the glow of any skin. Unfortunately, its use is restricted to special occasions, which alas too seldom shed their brilliance upon one’s crowded year. At opening night of the Horse Show or the Opera, the diamond necklace is worn, as at the season’s Charity Ball or a Gala Concert. It is appropriate, also, at formal receptions and, of course, should always accompany a woman on a trip abroad.
The Rivière
One of the most attractive, dressiest and most timeless styles in the diamond necklace is that single strand of diamonds, the straight line necklace, known as the rivière, or river of light. Whether the diamonds are uniform, that is, all of equal size, or graduated around the neck with the largest centered in front, nothing should be allowed to interfere with the incomparable beauty of the gems. No medallions of precious metal should be allowed between. The one concern of the jeweler should be to achieve the flowing sequence of perfect solitaires, in one accordant interplay, a cascading river of brilliance and sparkle.
Care must be taken with the fitting of the rivière so that none of the diamonds will overturn when it is worn. An expert craftsman knows that the first requirement is the pre-shaping of the mountings, before the stones are set, to conform not only to the shape but also to the movements of the neck. A painstaking jeweler may make a plaster cast of the lovely neck and shoulders which are to receive the rivière; upon this cast he can form the rounding jewel. Every good jeweler possesses some of the skills of the sculptor.