Rivière
[riv-ee-AIR]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 19th century
1.
A necklace of gems that increase in size toward a large central stone, typically consisting of more than one string.
Examples of Rivière in a sentence
"While a rivière is a striking piece of jewelry, it can make a subtle fashion statement."
"The standard rivière is made with matching gems of the same cut and color, though the stones get larger toward the center of the necklace."
About Rivière
“Rivière” is taken from the French for “river.”
Did you Know?
The necklace style known as the “rivière” links gemstones together on a string or chain with a continuity that brings to mind the flow of a river — the root of the style’s name. The style emerged in 18th-century France, during the time of Queen Marie-Antoinette, who was associated with a rivière called “le collier de la Reine” (“the Queen’s necklace”). This rivière was the subject of the infamous “Affair of the Diamond Necklace,” in which Marie-Antoinette was accused of refusing to pay the crown jeweler for making the ornate rivière in 1845. It later emerged that Marie-Antoinette had rejected the piece, but a notorious thief named Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy forged the queen’s signature hoping to steal the set of jewels.
