In the 1800s, the choker was the necklace of choice for women from almost every sector of society. The French painter Edouard Manet's piece, Olympia, focusing on a nude female figure with an empowered gaze wearing a ribbon around her neck, has been considered evidence of the choker being a symbol of prostitution. A mere ten years after Manet's suggestive painting, the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas adorned his rehearsing ballerinas with the similar black chokers.
See also: The Scandal Behind Degas' Little Dancer
Alexandra of Denmark, Queen consort to King Edward VII of England, was also a fan of chokers, allegedly wearing them to conceal a scar on her neck. Most surviving photos of Queen Alexandra show her wearing fantastically elaborate chokers embellished with precious metals and stones, and this led to a rise in chokers as the fashion of the time from the first years of the 20th century and into the Art Deco period.
See also: Crown Jewels: 5 Times Royal Jewellery Made Auction Headlines
Want more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our free newsletter!
The rise of glamorous starlets in the 1950s and '60s saw the return of the choker to the fashion frontline. The chokers of this era took stylistic elements from both the simplistic ribbons and extravagant pieces of the previous century, as demonstrated by the selection worn by Marilyn Monroe in the classic movie, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In the iconic performance of Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, Monroe's iconic shocking pink dress was paired with an opulent diamond choker, while a stunning green and blue cluster of gems adorned her neck elsewhere in the movie. The actress was also lent the Moon of Baroda - a 24-carat pear-shaped yellow diamond on a choker - for the film's promotional campaign.
Yet another revival swapped the sparkling neckpieces of Hollywood for chunky black velvet and plastic 'fake-tattoo' chokers in the 1990s when grunge was in and glamour was out. During her early career, Kate Moss modelled a number of these heavy gothic pieces for John Galliano, evoking the 19th century French fashion in the paintings of Manet and Degas, as well as other chokers for designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel.
In the 2010s, Kim Kardashian transformed herself into a walking mannequin for chokers, as she was been spotted wearing a different style at every other appearance. A small collection of diamond-encrusted chokers from the New-York based jeweller, Lorraine Schwartz, worn by the reality star were rumoured to be worth an eye-watering $1 million each. Though it seems not everything in Kim’s jewellery collection was quite so pricey, with the socialite seen in a choker fashioned from cut-off denim, as well as a sleek white-and-gold piece.
See also: The 9 Most Popular Jewellery Brands
More recently, Kate Middleton wore the Queen's pearl choker to her funeral last month, which was one of her favourite pieces made from pearls gifted to the Queen from Japan. She had also lent it to Princess Diana, who frequently wore chokers in the 1980s and '90s.
Chokers continue to fetch high prices at auction, with diamond and gem-studded pieces selling for over a million. On Barnebys, you can find a wide variety of chokers available for sale, from intricate antique pieces to contemporary designs.
Find more articles in Barnebys Magazine
This is an updated version of the article originally published on 9 February 2017.
