Since the 18th century
Necklaces
and Rivières
The Collier de la Reine, which shook the French court in 1785, had 647 diamonds and weighed around 2,800 carats. Marie-Antoinette never wore it. What became famous through it was a form already half a century old: a row of diamonds and nothing else.
Rivière and ligne necklaces from the MXHM atelier in Munich: continuous rows of brilliant-cut diamonds from around 4 to 24 carats, 40 to 50 cm, in 18 kt white, yellow or rose gold or 950 platinum. From 17,400 €, made to order. The tool on this page works out form, stone size and length.
Origin
Why it is called a rivière
Rivière is the French word for river: a necklace of stones of one kind, with no pendant, no ornament, no centrepiece. The stones are the whole piece.
In the 18th century the form was at its height. The early pieces were individually set stones threaded onto a cord or a ribbon; only later were they linked to move together. The tennis bracelet is built the same way today.
Georgian necklaces were set in silver, not in gold: silver is white and does not pull the colour of the diamonds towards yellow, and white gold and platinum did not yet exist as jewellery metals. But silver tarnishes and stained skin and clothing. In 1767 the London jeweller James Cox backed the settings with gold.
Historically the term covers both forms, the row of equal-sized stones as well as the one that grows towards the centre. I call the first a ligne and the second a rivière.
The two forms
Ligne and rivière
A line is the same width throughout. A river widens towards the middle. That decides both effect and price.
Both drawings carry the same carat weight, distributed differently. The sizes come from the same formula as the price below.
Both forms on finished pieces.
The graduation costs more, and not because of the work. One carat spread across many small stones is considerably cheaper than the same carat in a few large ones, and in a rivière those few large ones sit in the centre.
And the stones have to match not only in colour and clarity but in their steps, with no jump between two neighbours. Assembling them takes longer than the setting itself.
The length
Four centimetres decide a great deal
As a guide: 40 cm sits close at the base of the neck and looks the most severe. 42 cm is the most common length; it lies just below. 45 cm usually falls on the collarbone and wears the most discreetly. 50 cm falls lower, into the décolleté. Exactly where the line falls depends on the neck and the build.
Two lengths worn together are an effect of their own: the shorter row frames the neck, the longer one leads the eye downwards.
Unsure? A piece of string around your own neck is more accurate than any table.
Your necklace
Form, size, length
Form
Stone Ø
Length
Quality
Metal
- Stones
- 127 brilliants
- Width at the neck
- 3.00 mm
- Total weight
- 12.70 ct
- 18 kt gold
- 31.2 g
Including VAT, calculated at the day's rate. Stone count and gold weight follow from stone size and length. Yellow and rose gold at the same price as white gold. The drawing is to scale: stone count, stone size and length match your selection exactly — it is a construction drawing, not a photograph.
Frequent questions
What I get asked about necklaces
- What is a rivière?
- A necklace of stones of one kind, with no pendant and no centrepiece. Historically the term covers both the row of equal-sized stones and the one that grows towards the centre; I call the first a ligne and the second a rivière.
- Ligne or rivière: what is the difference in price?
- At the same total weight the rivière costs considerably more: one carat spread across many small stones is cheaper than the same carat in a few large ones.
- Which length is right?
- As a guide: 40 cm sits close at the base of the neck, 42 cm is the most common length, 45 cm usually falls on the collarbone, 50 cm lower, into the décolleté. Exactly where the line falls depends on the neck and the build.
- Why do I choose the stone diameter and not the carat weight?
- Because ten carats over 40 centimetres make a broader line than ten carats over 50. What you see is the width of the row; the total weight follows from it and is shown alongside.
- How much does such a necklace weigh?
- Between roughly 17 and 50 grams, depending on stone size and length. What decides comfort is not the weight but the movement of the links.
- Why were old necklaces set in silver?
- Because silver is white and does not pull the colour of the diamonds towards yellow; white gold and platinum did not yet exist as jewellery metals in the 18th century.
- Do I get certificates?
- For a ligne with 120 to 180 small stones, a written confirmation of number, total weight, colour and clarity. For a rivière, GIA reports for the large centre stones.
- Can I have the necklace altered later?
- A ligne can be shortened and lengthened by a link. With a rivière every position has its own stone size, and a shortening changes the whole graduation.
From recent years
What else is possible
Ligne and rivière are the two forms that can be priced in advance. I have built a great deal more, because someone arrived with an idea.
Your idea
Tell me about it
If you have seen something that stays with you, at an auction, in a museum, in an old photograph, bring it along. A screenshot is enough.
Sometimes the right thing is an antique piece, and then my work is searching: I know where such necklaces surface and whether a piece is original. Sometimes it is a new piece, because it is meant for your neck and not for that of a stranger from 1890.
The same goes for coloured stones: a necklace entirely of rubies, sapphires or emeralds, or the mixture in which colour and diamond alternate. There everything depends on finding enough stones that match one another, and that takes time.
Personally
I assemble every row myself
With a necklace, what decides is not the largest stone but how each stone suits the next. I assemble the row myself and look at it calmly before it is set.
If you would like to clarify the length, the budget or whether Ligne or Rivière suits you better, you can reach me directly.
Maximilian Hemmerle von HeckelFifth-generation jeweller · Munich
WhatsApp sayhi@mxhm.de +49 89 21 53 60 66
You are writing to a small, personal team, and usually to me directly.
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