Necklace Styles

The meaning of a necklace is tied to the style and customizations added to it. Because of where they are worn, necklaces are an ideal symbol of love and any sentiment someone would want to keep close to their heart.

By 1945, some 400,000 German troops were operating in Norway, controlling the population of about 4 million people. It was in the autumn of 1940 when students at Oslo University started wearing paperclips on their lapels as a non-violent symbol of resistance, unity, and national pride.

Archaeologists who have dug through the sites of ancient churches or cities have noted that the use of crosses and crucifixes as personal ornamentation began to flourish around the 6th Century AD.

Gemstone durability is measured using the Mohs scale. Otherwise known as the Mohs hardness scale, it was developed in 1812 by Freidrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, to rank minerals and provide a measure of their strength. The Mohs scale ranks gemstones from 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 the hardest. A stone’s Mohs rating provides a measure of its scratch resistance to other minerals. Diamond is known to be the hardest and can scratch any other stone. Talc is the softest. Reference minerals in between include gypsum, calcite, fluorite, apatite, orthoclase feldspar, quartz, topaz, and corundum. Sapphire has a hardness value of 9, so it can scratch any mineral rated 1 through 8; however, it cannot scratch a diamond.

The first station necklace dates back to 1974. Referred to as “Diamonds by the Yard,” this style was designed for Tiffany & Co by the talented Elsa Peretti. Elsa’s masterpiece featured a chic casual chain with bezel set diamond stations. This classic piece was well received at that time.

After fading a bit, station necklaces regained their popularity in 1996 with the introduction of the “Tin Cup” necklace, named for the movie it was featured in. Actress Rene Russo wore a pearl station necklace in this romantic comedy, making it famous instantly. The Tin Cup necklace brought a new twist to station necklaces, trading diamonds for ravishing pearls and trading metal for knotted silk cord. This sophisticated creation started a trend that lasted for years before the frenzy died down again.

In 2008, station necklaces reemerged as a fashion must-have, and they are still in style today.