I regularly receive messages from anxious friends on the verge of big jewelry purchases. “Is this worth it??” “Why is this so expensive???” “Can you have this made for me on 47th Street instead????”
Fielding quick-fire-jewelry-20-questions is my jam, and I’m always happy to oblige. So when a friend recently texted about wanting a diamond rivière necklace (aka tennis necklace) I jumped at the chance to send her some contenders.
First and foremost, the rivière necklace is one of the most perennially classic jewelry items out there. It’s been reinvented time and time again, but remains a staple in the jewelry wardrobe of anyone who can afford it. And lucky for the rest of us, we have entered a golden age of diamond alternatives, so this chic layering piece just got much easier to afford.
The first place I always look is second hand. I grew up in a pawn shop and loath paying retail. The Real Real, 1stdibs, eBay, and even online auction sites are all great places to look for classic, simple pieces. And how do you know if the price is right? I’m going to save that for a future post, but basically compare carat weight, diamond quality and material and you’ll get a sense of market price.
The Real Real, 4.00ctw diamond necklace, $4,395.
If I must go the retail route, one of my go-to’s is Mejuri. They are like the Gap (circa 1997) for fine jewelry; great prices, good quality, and classic, easy to wear options. They aren’t trying to be anything other than what they are - which I appreciate! Their version of the tennis necklace is unique in that it has a composite- type setting, several small stones are set in each bezel to give the illusion of one larger stone.
Micro-pave diamond choker, Mejuri, starting at $4,400.
But for the price, this necklace didn’t have enough sparkle or oomph. And for 4k you may as well buy The Real Real version!
My friend wanted to keep the budget under $1,000, so my sights turned to natural diamond alternatives - lab-grown diamonds, sapphires, and zircons. Swarovski has had a remarkable style shift since their new creative director, Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert, started. Gone is over bejeweled costume jewelry, in favor of more contemporary styles with high impact, larger crystals.
Swarovski rhodium plated, zircon necklace, $280.
Great price, great look - a possible contender! Then I remembered being targeted by Dorsey, a new DTC lab-grown gemstone company specializing in on-trend, exceedingly hip jewelry (as seen on everyone from Justin Bieber to Bella Hadid). Their tennis necklace is made from lab-grown white sapphire, a very convincing diamond alternative. And because their jewelry is made in 18k plated brass or silver the mountings are durable and long lasting.
Dorsey’s Kate necklace, 18k plated brass and lab-grown white sapphire, $400.
After some back and forth about wearability and value she decided to go with Dorsey and promised to send pics upon it’s arrival. Final report after asking several of our other friends irl for their feedback:
If the biggest complaint is that the necklace looks too expensive, I’d say we did pretty well!
….aaaannnndddd, if money is no object, below are some of my other favorites just because.
