The Back Necklace Knows How to Make an Exit

Vittoria Ceretti, the 2026 Met Gala

Vittoria Ceretti wore a custom sheer black silk chiffon Carolina Herrera draped cutout gown by Wes Gordon at the 2026 Met Gala, inspired by the clarity and fluidity of Greek sculpture with an open-back design. The perfect blank canvas, Ceretti decided to jazz up her bare back with a diamond Crivelli creation.

The Italian High Jewelry brand created the Venus Meridian – a custom sautoir, featuring 704 diamonds totaling 88 carats, based on the model’s exact proportions. A 7-carat pear-shaped, D-color, Flawless diamond sits at the base, resting right at the curve of the spine. She added a pair of pear-shaped diamond drop earrings to round out her ensemble.

Bella Hadid, 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Model Bella Hadid walked the red carpet at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in a Prada two-piece set and Chopard diamond jewelry. She wore diamond stud earrings with a necklace in 18-karat white gold, set with 44.77 carats of natural diamonds, swinging down her back. Her huge cocktail ring featured a 20-carat cushion-cut diamond with 7.06 carats of diamond accents.

Among her assortment, Hadid wore another ring featuring a 5.04-carat emerald-cut diamond and a ring with a 5.01-carat square emerald-cut diamond, all from the Haute Joaillerie Collection.

Michelle Yeoh, 2025 Oscars

Michelle Yeoh teamed her bright blue custom Balenciaga Haute Couture gown with the Plume de Paon asymmetrical earrings, paved with rose-cut diamonds from Maison Boucheron, along with the Plume de Paon large ring, also paved with diamonds and set with a rose-cut diamond. The Oscar-winning actress topped off her 2025 Oscars look with the Quatre Radiant Edition High Jewelry tie-necklace, paved with princess-cut, baguette-cut, and round diamonds, which cascaded down her back.

Sabrina Carpenter, 2025 Grammy Awards

Sabrina Carpenter adorned a baby blue satin feathered halter custom JW Anderson dress at the 2025 Grammy Awards, held up by a string with 18.97 carats of pear-shaped diamonds from Chopard. Then, a 50-carat D-flawless brilliant-cut diamond sautoir pendant elegantly dangled from her back, surrounded by pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds. The piece is from the Garden of Kalahari Collection.

Lashana Lynch, 2023 BAFTA Awards

Lashana Lynch got creative with her Bulgari Serpenti necklace, wearing it backwards so the tail dripped down the back of her gown at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards. She paired the High Jewelry necklace with Serpenti Viper drop earrings in White Gold with 2.08 carats of diamonds and the Serpenti Viper band in White Gold with 8.91 carats of diamonds.

Cindy Bruna, 2022 Cannes Film Festival

Model Cindy Bruna paired her iconic Giambatista Valli gown with an even more iconic piece of jewelry at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival: A sizable Chaumet pendant worn hanging down her back for ultimate drama paired with matching statement earrings.

Vanessa Kirby, 2021 Oscars

Nominated for Best Actress thanks to her role in Pieces of a Woman, Vanessa Kirby wore a sleek platinum and diamond Cartier collar to the 2021 Oscars. The perfect complement to her pale pink plunging Gucci gown, the jewel, set with over one thousand diamonds and totaling 27.45 carats, featured a diamond pendant draped down the nape of her neck for dramatic effect.

Cynthia Erivo, 2020 SAG Awards

Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Harriet, Cynthia Erivo attended the 2020 SAG Awards, wearing a bright red and hot pink custom Schiaparelli gown and a diamond serpentine Roberto Coin necklace that slithered down her back to great glistening effect.

Jennifer Lawrence, 2014 Oscars

The following year, Lawrence kept the trend going. Nominated for her role in American Hustle and acting as a presenter at the 2014 Academy Awards, Lawrence wore a bold red strapless Dior gown with $3 million worth of Neil Lane diamonds, including an infinity necklace that scooped down her back, similar to her 2013 Oscars style playbook.

Neil Lane tells The Diamond Collective, “That was a fun one.” He recalls, “I give a lot of credit to her team, her stylists. They have a great, great [responsibility] to bring a level of individuality. They did not want a ‘typical’ jewel.” 

The renowned jeweler explains, “It was so ethereal. I had this rock crystal, platinum, and diamond necklace by Chaumet from the 1920s. It was a long sautoir.” 

After acquiring the vintage piece from a royal estate, Chaumet later informed Lane that the necklace was actually missing six links that were being sold at a show in Europe, and he felt compelled to buy them to complete the jewel.

He remembers, “They tried on so many different jewels, but nothing worked,” at first. Then, “I didn’t know how Jennifer was going to wear it. I was watching it on TV, and she wore it as a back chain!” When the actress adorably took a tumble at the awards ceremony for the second year in a row, Lane remembers fearing, “‘Oh my, I hope she doesn’t crack the rock crystal!’ But she got up; it was perfect. Nothing was wrong.” 

“It was a subtle, wonderful look that was magical on the red carpet,” he says. “You can’t really predict those. If she wore it the other way, it would have been nice, but it would not have had that magic. I think the jewel was perfect. It got a lot of attention. It was just exquisite. It didn’t seem fussy or overdone. I think those kinds of looks are very memorable because they appear very organic, very natural.”

Jennifer Lawrence, 2013 Oscars

Winning Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence famously tripped over her voluminous Christian Dior Couture ivory number while climbing the ceremony steps to receive her Academy Award in 2013.

The actress took her memorable look a few steps further with loads of Chopard diamonds. Lawrence wore 12-carat diamond drop earrings and a captivating ring, but what really completed the ensemble was her thin, traipsing necklace with 74 carats worth of diamonds, draped along her clavicle. With 150 diamond links, the long necklace cascaded down her back.

Kate Hudson, 2010 SAG Awards

While this look may be from the 2010 SAG Awards, the Cartier jewels are truly timeless. Kate Hudson opted to wear the long Sautoir Spotlight necklace down her back for a dramatic, sensual look. The necklace features a cluster of cascading diamond tassels that are absolutely divine and beautifully complement the earrings. Hudson also wore diamond chandelier earrings that added a touch of glamour to her crisp white boatneck Emilio Pucci gown.

Iman, 2003 Cannes Film Festival

When De Beers and Iman announced their partnership at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, Iman posed for a photocall, where she displayed De Beers’ “first diamond necklace” valued at over $100,000 at the time. The floral diamond jewels were auctioned off at the Cinema Against AIDS gala to benefit amfAR. The following year, Iman wore an uber-exaggerated version of De Beers’ “first diamond necklace” at the 2003 amfAR gala.

Walking the red carpet in a slinky fuchsia Dior gown, Iman wore an elaborate wildflower couture neckpiece that covered her chest and extended down her back, featuring over 500 diamonds at 56 carats. She paired her bespoke necklace with a $2 million 5.5-carat emerald-cut rare pinkish-orange diamond ring, also from De Beers.