When it comes to emulating celebrity style, there are a handful of obvious women who pop into my mind, most of whom are known by just one household name: Jackie, Wallis, Liz (Liz, my greatest jewelry soulmate). Their individual styles have become synonymous with taste, sophistication, and pushing the envelope. Where time has had decades to canonize their reputations among the hallowed halls of fashion and style, there are dozens of others whose personal style and “looks” have been steadily gaining notice and recognition. Sometimes these women are compared to historical icons, like my Liz, but I prefer to examine their style through the lens of today. Our Style Spotlight series will highlight the women whose contributions to style make ripples that are sure to reverberate for years to come.
Today we’ll take a peek at Rihanna’s jewelry legacy. Rihanna is a pop music artist from Barbados. Along with her musical accolades, she is widely regarded for her eccentric and unique sense of style. She can be counted upon to push the boundaries, sometimes shocking everyone with her daring looks and feisty personality. Her bold choices are showcased in her jewelry selections. Take, for example, the Chopard necklace she wore in December 2014. The platinum collar delicately swoops down along her collarbone, with over 65 carats of diamonds glittering along the way. But that’s not the end of it. A pendant confidently hangs from the middle of the collar. The pendant is made of just one statement-making tone: a pear-shaped 123-carat rubellite. Rubellite is a reddish pink variety of tourmaline. It is quite rare (more rare even than rubies) and therefore, quite pricey (in fact, they are the most expensive color of tourmaline). Rihanna smartly paired this striking necklace, which beautifully followed the neckline of her dress, with simple and elegant stud earrings. A style icon like Rihanna understands that when you’re wearing such a powerful piece, you don’t need to add additional pieces to compete with it.
Rihanna’s love affair with Chopard continues in their collaborative collection, Rihanna Loves Chopard. Rihanna herself wore numerous pieces from the collection to the 2017 Met Gala. The pieces were striking. Consistent with her bright and colorful style, the pieces were bouquets of glorious color, bursting at the seams. Even her overly embellished dress couldn’t take away from the finery on her fingers and dangling from her ears. The floral earrings featured nearly 35 carats of tourmaline briolettes, over 29 carats of black diamonds, just under two carats of rubellites, seven carats of light pink sapphires. And her rings? Well, rubellite turned in another strong performance, with the rose gold-set ring holding a 5.10-carat rubellite, along with amethyst and morganite accent stones. Her other ring offered another fine pear-shaped rubellite (weighing in at over 21 carats), plus more amethysts and diamonds.
In September 2016, Rihanna graced to cover of W Magazine. In this cover, she was quite literally covered from head to shoulders in diamonds. I mean, they were just dripping off of her. Shine bright like a diamond, indeed. The tiara was made by Cartier for the Countess of Essex in the early 1900s (and it was worn by Clementine Churchill at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation). While the tiara is quite beautiful, I am more taken with the choker. Also made by Cartier in the early 1900s, this stunner was made for Mary Scott Townsend. Cartier reacquired the necklace from a Sotheby’s auction in 1991. It is now on display in Australia, at the National Gallery of Australia.
I know that the pieces I chose to highlight today are all fine jewelry examples that most of us don’t have in our jewelry boxes. And that is okay. Because even though these pieces are beautiful and Rihanna wears them like no other, we can take just a little bit of her unique style for ourselves. Bling and sparkle don’t have to be reserved for special occasions. They can be incorporated into your everyday looks. Rihanna is known for her unmatched pairing skills. She knows exactly how to put her looks together. And THAT makes her a style icon; it’s not just what she wears. It’s all about how she wears it. And she wears it like no one else.
Until next time,
Rebecca
