Neck jewelry has been in fashion for a long time. They were invented by primitive people who tried to diversify their appearance somehow with unpretentious products made of bone, stones, elements of trees, a wide variety of minerals that came underfoot.
With the advent of the Bronze Age, people learned to melt metal and the variety and appearance of neck products changed dramatically. This time became the progenitor of modern types of necklaces, necklaces and beads. The craftsmen began to come up with intricate accessories, gradually learned how to process beautiful stones, which they began to insert into jewelry.
Today the market is replete with various products, whose role is intended to complement the images of beautiful ladies and courageous men. But there is often confusion in the names of accessories. Let's try today to figure out what necklaces are, what types of necklaces are made, and from what beads can be made.
General information
All neck jewelry can be divided into three main types:
- chains;
- necklaces;
- necklace;
- beads.
Chains are, as a rule, products made of precious or non-ferrous alloys, which are made in the form of weaving interconnected small elements from a thin wire.
Beads are elements, often of a rounded shape, made of dissimilar materials (stones, glass, plastic, etc.) without pins, i.e. not inserted into metal clamps, strung on a base in the form of a fishing line or other bundle.
A necklace is a neck decoration that is a chain with crystals of stones inserted into it.
A necklace is a necklace with a large pendant in the center.
The division presented can be called a bit blurry. Since jewelry houses and designers often combine various elements of neck accessories to create something special.
All of these neck jewelry can be divided into several subspecies or categories:
- by material;
- by the composition of the inserts;
- by lenght;
- by field of application;
- by design.
Now, briefly about each of the categories.
Types of necklaces, necklaces, beads, chains by material and types of inserts
All jewelry is divided into bijouterie and jewelry. How to distinguish between them.
Jewelry is a family of jewelry made from inexpensive materials. A kind of arts and crafts. In the production of these types of accessories, a variety of non-ferrous metals and their alloys are used:
- bronze;
- brass;
- cupronickel (an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel);
- spyatr (name of a group of alloys of various non-ferrous metals: copper, zinc, nickel, tin or zinc with the addition of lead and iron.);
- nickel silver (copper alloy with 5 ... 35% nickel and 13 ... 45% zinc);
- aluminum.
Keep in mind that nickel, which you have noticed is found in many jewelry alloys, often causes allergic reactions in people. Sometimes it manifests itself simply as a rash that causes unpleasant itching, but occasionally there are severe allergic attacks. Therefore, this type of jewelry can not be worn by everyone.
Jewelry can also consist of semi-precious stones or as they are also called. It:
- corals
- amber;
- onyx;
- turquoise;
- jasper.
This list is quite long. Therefore, if you are interested, you can read the information on semiprecious crystals here.
According to the materials used, jewelry can also be divided into:
- glass;
- plastic;
- ceramic;
- leather;
- wooden;
- textile;
- mother-of-pearl.
Glass jewelry is fairly inexpensive jewelry, but there is a strong race for them now. The fact is that glass, namely glass crystals, do not lend themselves much to changes in color and shine over time, especially if they are properly maintained and stored properly. Such accessories last a long time, pleasantly delight their owners and are not very expensive.
Plastic in jewelry began to be used not so long ago. Usually these decorations come to us from foreign countries. These products also wear well, are beautiful in appearance, but are significantly inferior to glass.
Ceramic products are very delicate and fragile. They usually need to be well cared for and are only recommended for special occasions.
Other types of jewelry materials are very common due to their low cost. Mother-of-pearl products are jewelry made from shells in the form of beads, necklaces. Textile jewelry is also usually a necklace made of intricate patterns of threads, ribbons, sewing accessories.
Jewelry is usually made from precious alloys of gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Platinum is the most expensive metal, followed by gold jewelry and silver at the end.
The most popular gold alloys in jewelry are those with fineness 958, 750, 585, 500 and 375. Such items can include copper, silver, zinc and other impurities to obtain the desired shade. The most common is 585 samples. She filled all the counters of jewelry stores.
Silver alloys are tests of 925, 875 and 916. The industry uses variants with 999, 960, 830 and 800 markings. Lower samples for jewelry are not particularly used now, but they used to be used quite widely, especially for creating inexpensive jewelry. The most relevant today is the 925 test. Everything is made of it: from rings to chic necklaces.
Platinum alloys have a fineness of 950, 900 and 850. This noble metal is highly resistant to corrosion. "Pure" platinum jewelry is valued even more expensive than gold options.
Palladium alloys are only gaining popularity among buyers and jewelers today. This precious metal has a fineness of 850 or 500. It has a unique matte white color. Palladium is non-allergenic, unlike gold, which may contain nickel.
It was established so that plastics, leather and other cheap materials are not particularly used in neck jewelry. Yes, there are such options, but usually for individual orders.
As for the stones, both semi-precious and precious minerals are used for jewelry necklaces and necklaces:
- diamonds;
- emeralds;
- rubies.
List of necklace types, choker and beads by length
According to their length, jewelry is divided into:
- collars up to 35 cm;
- chokers from 35 to 40 cm;
- princesses from 42 to 48 cm;
- matine from 50 to 60 cm;
- operas up to 85 cm;
- sautoir or ropes from 112 to 180 cm.
Since the Middle Ages, the collar has been a male adornment, a symbol of power and belonging to a knightly order. Outwardly, this product was a chain with large links, which ends with the same large pendant, which could have been an order, or a pendant with a family emblem or heraldic signs. Today the collar is a flat wide "collar". Sometimes its width is almost equal to the length of the neck. Recently, a variety of collars has become popular, repeating the outer collar of a shirt, decorated with precious, semi-precious stones or just beads.
Initially, the choker looked like a lace made of rubber or rubber, which could be complemented by a pendant, and was considered a universal piece of jewelry for both men and women. Modern chokers are most often made from gold, silver, or base metals, and adorned with precious or semi-precious stones.
Collars and chokers look good on a fairly long neck. Therefore, do not rush to buy jewelry just because it looks beautiful, make sure that the product really suits you.
Classic products with a length of about 42 × 48 centimeters are classified as princess. This decoration can be quite restrained, monochromatic, or, conversely, bright, with large elements. Basic materials for manufacturing: beads, beads, metals, semi-precious stones, rhinestones.
Matine is a product with a length of about 50 ... 60 centimeters. Most often it is a string of pearls that is twisted around the neck twice. One circle is always longer than the other. Matine can be made of beads, stones, with metal inserts, small pendants. The perfect decoration for everyday wear and going out.
For everyday wear for office style or casual, princess or matinee necklaces are ideal.
Opera, as a rule, almost reaches the waistline. It can be in the form of beads in several rows, precious stones on a thin chain. Natural pearls are often used in the "opera" necklace. This type of necklace looks great on girls / women of almost any body size: it will emphasize a slender figure, and visually stretch a full one.
Sautoir is the longest type of neck jewelry. By default, its length always exceeds 112 centimeters (sometimes up to 1,8 meters). You shouldn't wear a sautoir every day. As usual, this product is often used for an evening out. Sometimes the design of this type of necklace is made in a prefabricated fashion, when several locks are provided along the length of the jewelry. The longest types of necklaces are more suitable for one-off events, as are wide collars.
Types of necklaces with names by design
Multi-row or multi-strand necklace. These are garlands decorated with a cascade of chains that fall to form an intricate pattern. They are often found in both Victorian and Art Nouveau styles. These are several strands of chains with stones or pearls, connected by one clasp.
Graduated is a female necklace made of stones of both large and small sizes. The closer to the clasp, the finer the stones. The largest ornament or pendant is in the middle of the necklace.
Festoon refers to a luxurious, impressive neck pendant with a structure consisting of a main chain with jewelry, the size of a choker, and smaller chains associated with it. This accessory works best with an off-the-shoulder evening dress
Riviere is an adornment on the neck that consists of only one type of precious stones. Each stone is set in a separate setting.
Negligee is the old name for a thin chain around the neck with several asymmetrical pendants in the form of a drop or fringe that looks like a pendant.
Collar. Necklaces of this type fit tightly to the body. They are short and massive. Often the front of the structure consists of a large piece of metal tied with a chain.
A torsad is a short, massive and heavy accessory consisting of several strands of beads that are twisted and connected by a single clasp. It looks good on ladies with large breasts. Nicely fitting the neck, emphasizes the décolleté area.
By the way, all the jewelry on the neck can also be divided according to the ways of wearing: for every day, for a holiday or for a corporate party. But this division is already very arbitrary. Some young ladies dress up in the store as if after shopping they will go on a long trip around the world on a beautiful liner.
