The perfect antique Georgian diamond rivière is an item that graces many jewelry lovers’ ultimate jewelry bucket lists. I would probably trade a non-essential organ for this one.

The 110 carat Georgian diamond rivière necklace of my dreams, collet setting.

The 110 carat Georgian diamond rivière of my dreams.

First things first: what is a rivière?

A rivière is an iconic style of necklace that features a continuous line of diamonds, set one after another like a river of precious stones (thus the name). I’d argue that the classic diamond tennis necklace is a modern reinterpretation of this design, a subset of the rivière.

The rivière is the little black dress of the necklace world, an infinitely versatile piece that can go with anything. Antique ones are increasingly rare and especially desirable to collectors – you may recall how ecstatic I was when I managed to score an antique paste rivière of similar design at auction (find that story here: Part 1, Part 2).

Some rivières are consistent in stone size all the way around, while others, like this one, are graduated, featuring stones that get larger towards the front.

The 110 carat Georgian diamond rivière necklace of my dreams. I love the antique collet settings!

This glorious Georgian diamond rivière necklace is currently available from Hancocks London. It dates to 1820 and is probably the biggest one I’ve ever seen outside of a museum, with 110 carats of old mine brilliant cut diamonds in classic Georgian era cut-down collet settings.

This incredible necklace is even more than meets the eye: it has discreet hooks on the back of each collet to allow the length to be adjusted. How fantastic is that?? Even better, the hooks may once have suspended diamond drips or pendeloques, making it even more glamorous.

Those probable pendeloques mean this piece has a very famous twin. Managing Director of Hancocks London, Guy Burton, says that the piece is “is unquestionably one of the finest diamond rivière necklaces we have ever offered for sale” and adds that this piece bears a striking resemblance to the famous Napoleon Diamond necklace, currently in the Smithsonian.

You may recognize the collet settings – which are silver-fronted and gold-backed – from the moment the style is having in contemporary jewelry, like Zoe Kravitz’s Jessica McCormack engagement ring.

The 110 carat Georgian diamond rivière necklace is the best antique riviere I've ever seen. I love the antique collet settings!

One more look so you’ll see it clearly in your dreams, too.

Click here to find this magnificent Georgian diamond rivière necklace at Hancocks, or see a list of other available rivières I’ve rounded up for you here.

Images and info c/o Hancocks London.

When this Egyptian Revival necklace popped up in my email inbox, I thought, “oooh, pretty.” But when I read the accompanying press release and realized how cool its story really is, I knew I had to share it with you.

The Egyptian Revival necklace that Meryl Streep wears in The Devil Wears Prada is a real antique with a royal connection.

This Egyptian Revival necklace from Devil Wears Prada has a royal past.

Gorgeous, isn’t it?? I didn’t take much notice of this beautiful piece the first (or second, or third) times I watched The Devil Wears Prada, but I’ll never miss it again. I love how the vibrant colors of the antique enamel, turquoise, and coral look peeping out of the clean lines of Meryl Streep’s Vogue editor persona’s chic tailored shirt and jacket.

Even better? This Egyptian Revival necklace wasn’t created as a prop for the movie, it’s a real antique from the 1800’s, commissioned by a future King as a gift for his mistress, a famous actress of the day.

Let’s get a closer look and dive into the past.

The Egyptian Revival necklace that Meryl Streep wore in The Devil Wears Prada was once a gift from Edward VII to his mistress Lillie Langtry.

Here is the necklace in all its glory! It’s a fantastic example of 19th century Egyptian Revival, a trend that was spurred in that era by Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt and the excavation and opening of the Suez Canal in the 1860’s. But the trends of the day weren’t the real reason why this piece was made.

It’s time to introduce you to the necklace’s first owner, Lillie Langtry. A society beauty first famous for her loveliness and later for her talent, Langtry decided to pursue a stage career after playwright Oscar Wilde encouraged her to give acting a try.

Despite her marriage to Edward Langtry, Lillie was also the longtime paramour of of the Prince of Wales (later, King Edward VII). Her royal lover lavished her with gifts and built a house for the two of them to share in Bournemouth by the late 1870’s. According to family history, this is when the Prince presented his lady love with the Egyptian Revival necklace.

Left, King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra. Right, Lillie Langtry wearing the necklace while playing Cleopatra on stage in 1881

Left, King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra. Right, Lillie Langtry in 1881

Why was Egyptian Revival the perfect gift for Ms. Langtry at that moment in time?

Well, because the actress was about to star in Anthony and Cleopatra at London’s Princess Theater. According to family sources, Langtry wore this exact necklace for her opening night of the show before it was replaced by a larger costume version for future performances.

It is worth mentioning that Langtry’s salary for Anthony and Cleopatra was, at the time, the highest ever paid to an actress. She also established the “Lillie Syndicate,” her successful business empire of celebrity product endorsements, which was groundbreaking for the era.

So Lillie wasn’t just a pretty face who got gifts from princes, she was a businesswoman getting things done.

Close up view of the antique Egyptian Revival necklace Meryl Streep wore in The Devil Wears Prada.

Langtry’s Egyptian Revival necklace has now returned to Hancocks London, the same jeweler who originally made the piece in the late 1800’s.

The piece features a gold necklace with a serpent’s head clasp suspending a winged enamel scarab, a large faience scarab, a carved carnelian shell, and tassels of coral drops, Ram’s heads, turquoise cabochons, and carved moonstones.

Even better: the necklace still resides in its original Hancocks box from the late 1800’s.

This Egyptian Revival necklace worn by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada was once a gift from Edward VII to his mistress Lillie Langtry.

According to Guy Burton, Managing Director of Hancocks London:

“The Prince of Wales commissioned Hancocks to make this piece for his mistress at the time, Lillie Langtry, who was regarded as one of the most glamorous and beautiful society women of her era. He was known to be deeply enamoured with Ms Langtry and is believed to have presented her with the necklace during their time together, marking it as a token of affection from a royal admirer.

[…] For the Prince of Wales, it would have made perfect sense to commission this piece for Ms Langtry given she was appearing as Cleopatra in the West End.”

The necklace’s journey didn’t end with Lillie Langtry. In 2003, it was auctioned by a private vendor whose grandmother had received it as a gift from the actress. Hancocks London re-acquired the piece and soon loaned it to a Hollywood production, facilitating the piece’s appearance in the iconic 2006 film, The Devil Wears Prada.

1800's sensation Lillie Langry and modern megastar Meryl Streep both wore this antique Egyptian Revival necklace in their performances.

The Egyptian Revival necklace was then sold to an American collector, and just recently has been re-acquired by Hancocks once again.

Isn’t that an incredible jewelry story? If you’d like to see this storied Egyptian Revival necklace in real life, Hancocks London will be displaying it in early October in honor of the West End production of The Devil Wears Prada that’s coming to London at the same time.

See more Egyptian Revival jewelry in my archive here or my Pinterest board here.

All images and info c/o Hancocks London.