Lavalier
Named for the Duchess de La Valliere, mistress of Louis XIV. This type of jewelry is an ornament hanging from a chain worn around the neck. The terms lavaliere and pendant could be used interchangeably. However, lavaliere does not appear in jewelrs' catalogs until 1900. Pendants and lavalieres have small jump rings or fancy type loops (bails) through which the chain is threaded.
They are essentially a double pendant, one suspended from another.
page revision: 1, last edited: 03 May 2014 16:44