Emerald Necklace: From Cartier Deco to the Everyday Green Stone

Emerald Necklace: From Cartier Deco to the Everyday Green Stone

An emerald necklace has long been the jewelry of film stars and heiresses, and Cartier made two of the most famous in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Smithsonian holds the Post Emerald Necklace, a platinum Art Deco design with 24 baroque emerald drops. Here is how to wear an emerald necklace today in a way that feels modern and not museum-like.

The green that stops a room

Cartier made Marjorie Merriweather Post's emerald necklace in 1928 or 1929, a platinum Art Deco piece with 24 baroque-cut emerald drops linked with diamonds. Post gave it to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in 1964. Clarence Mackay gave Anna Case another Cartier emerald necklace as a wedding present in 1931, and a 1995 Life spread showed Michelle Pfeiffer wearing it at the Smithsonian. An emerald necklace still carries that sense of occasion.

Emerald Necklace styled editorial photo 1

Real, lab-grown or glass

Today an emerald necklace can mean a natural stone, a lab-grown one or green crystal. Each has a place. Natural emeralds have soft inclusions that jewelers call the jardin, and those are part of the charm. Lab-grown stones are cleaner. Glass and crystal are playful and bright. Read the description and look for the setting, since a good prong setting protects a stone that can chip.

Emerald Necklace styled editorial photo 2

Wearing green near the face

Emerald suits nearly every skin tone, and it looks especially rich with navy, camel and black. Picture her in a black turtleneck with a single emerald pendant, crossing a hotel lobby before a dinner. A necklace with one stone suits a high neck, and a collar of stones looks best on a bare neckline. Gold settings warm the green and silver cools it.

Emerald Necklace styled editorial photo 3

Layering and care

An emerald pendant can sit over a fine gold chain without competing. Keep other stones small. Emeralds are softer than diamonds, so avoid knocks and clean them with warm water and a soft cloth, never an ultrasonic machine. Store the necklace in its own pouch.

What I would skip

I would skip a stone that looks cloudy with no sparkle, and a setting with loose prongs. If you want it daily, choose a simple bezel setting that guards the stone.