Why the Ribbon Choker Has Always Been for Rebels

The Ribbon Choker’s Subversive Origins

Following the French Revolution, women were known to subversively wear red ribbon chokers in homage to those who lost their heads to the guillotine, representing where the blade would have fallen. 

From the late 18th century throughout the 19th century, black ribbon chokers were often depicted in French and English portraits of ladies, specifically by French painter Édouard Manet in his 1863 piece, “Olympia.”

In the Victorian era, black ribbon chokers, often seen with diamond-embellished cameos and pendants, became a staple of mourning jewelry, symbolizing grief – a precedent set by the trendsetter of the century, Queen Victoria. 

At the time, courtesans, or ladies of the night, were known to wear black ribbon chokers, as recently seen on Florence Pugh’s East of Eden character, Cathy Ames, when she was working in a brothel. Ballerina dancers were known to wear the black ribbon choker as well, immortalized through the work of Edgar Degas. 

Royalty and Ribbons

Queen Alexandra of Denmark also wore her fair share of diamond-encrusted thick velvet ribbon chokers to hide a small scar on her neck from a childhood thyroid surgery, unwittingly reigniting the trend. From Queen Mary to Queen Elizabeth II, no royal carried on the penchant for chokers quite like Princess Diana. 

Princess Diana converted her Saudi Sapphire choker from two other pieces of jewelry, including a diamond wristwatch. The oval-shaped sapphire was cut from a ring and refashioned in a diamond frame from a watch. The then-Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia commissioned a suite of sapphires and diamonds from Asprey to give Diana as a wedding gift. The Princess of Wales transformed the diamonds from the watch and ring to create four new pieces of jewelry, including the famed diamond and velvet ribbon choker that she was also known to wear as a headband across her forehead. 

Daisy Edgar-Jones Tapped the Boucheron Archives for Sense & Sensibility

While on her press tour for Sense and Sensibility, Daisy Edgar-Jones hit the pavement in New York City to visit NBC Studios in Midtown, wearing a vintage John Galliano beige jacket from the Spring/ Summer 2006 collection from Isle of Monday with Levi’s blue jeans, but her choice of choker called back to another time. As a brand ambassador for Boucheron since September 2025, Edgar-Jones sported an archival cameo pendant, surrounded by diamonds on a black velvet ribbon choker, sourced from the Maison’s private archives, created in 1873. 

The month before, Edgar-Jones graced the red carpet at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London to celebrate the film’s world premiere, styled by Dani Michelle. Starring as heroine Elinor Dashwood in the Jane Austen adaptation, the actress wore an elegant satin custom Vivienne Westwood gown and another historic Boucheron pendant on a velvet ribbon choker, this one from 1877. 

Also sourced from the Boucheron Private Collection, the 1877 agate pendant merges silver, yellow gold, and diamonds. The brownish-pink agate’s natural inclusions form a vertical landscape of frayed foliage, encased in an ornamental gold frame, reflecting the nature of 19th-century style. Including a secret locket mechanism, the pendant can hold a miniature portrait or a personal message.  

Isha Ambani Went Big With 50 Carats of Diamonds

Isha Ambani attended the 2026 Oscars, wearing a strapless, floral-embroidered vintage Valentino gown from the Fall 2006 Haute Couture collection, styled by Jamie Mizrahi. The Indian heiress, as usual, packed a punch with her diamonds. Ambani wore a bold black velvet ribbon choker, featuring over 50 carats of diamonds by Lorraine Schwartz. Teamed with equally dramatic diamond earrings and rings, Ambani’s choker showcased an inverted pear-shaped pink diamond stitched in the center, anchoring two dangling cushion-cut diamonds. 

Styled by Andrew Mukamal as usual, Robbie attended the Wuthering Heights photocall at Le Grand Rex in Paris, wearing a red velvet custom Chanel Couture gown with a matching red velvet choker.

Bringing her look to a whole new level, Robbie sported a custom Lorraine Schwartz pendant, featuring a massive old-cut champagne diamond with a pear-shaped drop diamond for the perfect touch of old-world Victorian glamour.

Janelle Monáe Took the Ribbon Choker to the Dark Side

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, nominee Janelle Monáe wore a black sequined Giorgio Armani Privé plunging strapless bustier gown with a Yeprem diamond piece attached to a black leather ribbon choker and David Yurman diamond stud earrings and rings.

How A-Listers Are Giving Bird on a Rock a New Perch

Styled by Austen Turner, Chase Sui Wonders hit the red carpet at the Sala Grande for the Ink screening at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, wearing a Giorgio Armani dress and rings, including a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany & Co. Ailsa aquamarine ring and a Bird on a Rock Wings ring.

She added the classic Bird on a Rock brooch, featuring a diamond of over 13 carats, plus a pink sapphire pinned to a ribbon around her neck, like Zoey Deutch and Taylor Russell have done before her.

For the premiere of her new film, The Testament of Ann Lee at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, Amanda Seyfried wore a strapless button-down Prada gown with a red bow, styled by Elizabeth Stewart.

The actress added a velvet ribbon choker to her ensemble, featuring a Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Rock brooch with a diamond weighing over 11 carats attached. Seyfried completed her look with a pair of natural diamond stud earrings and a Bird on a Rock by Tiffany ring in platinum and 18-karat gold with an unenhanced 11-carat yellow sapphire, rubies, and diamonds. 

For the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, jury member Taylor Russell stunned on the Venice red carpet at Palazzo del Cinema. The Bones and All actress wore a black Schiaparelli gown, Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Banana Dot ear clips, and the jeweler’s iconic Bird on a Rock brooch in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold, creatively pinned to a black velvet choker with a diamond over 12 carats.