Flower Necklaces

The flower necklace: the motif that softens everything else

Some motifs make a statement and some soften. The flower belongs to the second group, and that's exactly why we choose it.

A flower necklace adds a gentle note where plain metal can feel cold. On a sharp outfit (a white shirt, a blazer, a tailored suit), it's enough to break the formality without contradicting it. On an outfit that's already light, it goes along with it instead of weighing it down.

It's also one of the few motifs that ages well in every sense: it suits you at twenty as much as at sixty, and it doesn't belong to any particular decade.

Daisy, enamel bloom, open petals: telling the shapes apart

The daisy is the most recognisable flower in jewellery: a round centre with even petals around it. It reads instantly, even when it's very small, which makes the daisy necklace the most everyday of our floral designs.

The enamel bloom fills its petals with full colour: white, pink, lime green. Enamel gives a bold finish that metal alone can't achieve, and the flower becomes a dot of colour rather than a drawing.

Open petals work in negative space: the flower is drawn by the gaps, it lets the light through, and the pendant stays light.

Then there are a few flowers highlighted with shell, the same material you'll find on our shell necklaces.

One flower, or a flower among others

Our flowers can be worn in two ways, and they don't tell the same story.

As a single pendant on a fine chain, the flower is the subject. Discreet and precise, it stands on its own and is worn every day. This is the classic flower pendant necklace.

As a charm, it joins our charm necklaces alongside a butterfly, a ladybird, a bee or a heart. The whole thing becomes a little garden you put together yourself: you add what you like, in the order you like, and change it with the seasons.

That's probably the most interesting way to wear this motif. One flower is pretty; three different flowers on the same chain tell a story.

Spring, and the rest of the year

The instinct is to link flowers with spring, and it isn't wrong: it's the season when they feel most natural, on bare skin and lighter clothes.

But winter is when a flower is most useful. On a dark polo neck or a chunky knit, a coloured enamel flower is the only point of light in the outfit, and that's where it goes from pretty to essential.

It's also what makes it a Mother's Day gift that avoids the cliché, as long as you choose a bold shape rather than a bouquet. More ideas in our necklace gifts for her.

Gold or silver

As a gold flower necklace, the flower warms up. Pale enamels take on a softer glow, and the metal brings to mind pollen and late afternoon light. It's the most natural finish for this motif. See all our gold necklaces.

As a silver flower necklace, the flower becomes more graphic. The outlines stand out, and the shape reads like a drawing rather than a plant. This is the contemporary version, and it works better with cool-toned outfits. See all our silver necklaces.

How high to wear it

Close to the face: that's the rule for any motif whose details matter. Our flower necklaces fall just below the collarbone, the height that works under a shirt collar as well as over a fine knit.

Higher up, a flower choker joins our choker necklaces, where it stays in full view. Any lower and the flower gets lost: an open petal no longer reads in the middle of the chest.

Most of the chains are adjustable, and a flower layers easily with a plain chain necklace, shorter or longer. A few flowers leave metal behind for a cord or a lace ribbon: they join our scarf and cord necklaces.

Materials and care

Most of our flower necklaces are made of stainless steel: it won't tarnish on skin and won't leave a green mark.

Enamel and shell need a little attention. Take the necklace off before the shower, the pool and sport. Put your perfume on before your necklace, never after, as alcohol damages the finish. Store it somewhere dry in its gift box, away from anything that could rub against it.

Every necklace is sent in its gift box, ready to give as it is. To see the whole range, browse all our necklaces for women.