How Meghan’s £44,500 diamond necklace channels old-Hollywood glamour

On Wednesday evening at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills, Meghan Markle stuck to a fail-safe red-carpet formula: black gown and diamonds. With her hair swept up, she proved the old adage “if it ain’t broke…”, accessorising her strapless Oscar de la Renta dress with a diamond tennis necklace by the LA jeweller Logan Hollowell.

Set with over 17 carats of diamonds in various shapes, the “Fortuna” necklace is inspired by the Roman goddess of fortune and luck: according to the designer, the seemingly randomly-shaped diamonds are a “manifestation of Fortuna’s powers”, which reflect “the goddess’s ability to randomise and bring luck”. The Duchess is often drawn to jewellery that carries a deeper, spiritual meaning, and this piece is a contemporary take on an age-old style beloved by royalty and Hollywood stars alike.

Single-strand diamond necklaces are traditionally set with round diamonds and are known as rivières – rivers of diamonds. Popular among European aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries, the royal jewellery vaults contain some incredible examples, including a 100-carat rivière made for Prince Harry’s great-great-grandmother Queen Mary, who would wear five or six diamond rivières at once.

Rivières also exude old Hollywood glamour, having adorned the likes of Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and Katharine Hepburn. And now they’re in the limelight again, worn by stars on and off the red carpet. They’re often called tennis necklaces, similar in style to tennis bracelets, which owe their name to the diamond line bracelet worn by American champion Chris Evert in the 1970s and 1980s. (During one US Open match her bracelet fell off and play stopped while she looked for it, popularising the nickname further.)

Today, the terms tennis necklace and rivière are interchangeable. The diamonds set in tennis necklaces tend to be smaller and more uniform in size, in line with the necklace’s new status as a jewellery-box staple that can just as easily be worn with a T-shirt as with a black-tie gown. The Duchess of Sussex wore hers for the Invictus Games banquet in February, and during a book club event near Montecito in September. She has styled it with a casual jumpsuit, a white tank top and a strappy dress, echoing stars like Taylor Swift, Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber, who wear diamond tennis necklaces as part of their everyday off-duty outfits.

“As the saying goes, diamonds are a girl’s best friend: they’re universally flattering and pair effortlessly with anything in your wardrobe,” says Madeleine Sangster, co-founder of Heavenly London, whose bestselling design is a graduated tennis necklace of moissanite, a synthetic gemstone that mimics the fire and sparkle of diamonds. She reports that tennis necklace sales have grown by 250 per cent over the past two years, and the term is constantly in the top five searches on the brand’s website.

“Two years ago, we offered four styles of tennis necklace and now we have eleven, which reflects the popularity and demand for this piece,” she says. “A single row of stones strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and sparkle. Their versatility is their magic, making them equally at home with casual or more formal looks.”

To modernise the traditional style, Sangster advises layering a tennis necklace with a longer pendant, or even stacking two or three together, a look seen on Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabelle Huppert and Reese Witherspoon. Accordingly, Heavenly’s tennis necklaces come in three lengths from 15 to 18 inches. “For me, layering feels fresh and contemporary. And I advise against wearing statement or matching earrings as I think the tennis necklace does the talking.”

Timelessness and versatility make for a great gift. Of course, a river of real diamonds isn’t exactly affordable, no matter how good one might have been this year. My dream rivière is by the jeweller Jessica McCormack: set with 17 carats of diamonds, it costs £135,000. I suspect Santa’s answer will be “keep dreaming”. Fashion jewellery brands including Daphine, PD Paola and Astrid & Miyu offer much more affordable gold-plated tennis necklaces set with cubic zirconia, offering an elegant look albeit without the brilliance and durability of solid gold and diamonds. Look carefully at the product description to confirm the type of metal and gemstone, and, if you’re forking out thousands, how many carats of diamonds are included.

Demi-fine brand Mejuri offers a 14kt gold tennis necklace set with around five carats of natural diamonds for £6,100, as well as a silver version with lab-grown sapphires for £628. And Missoma’s tennis necklaces range from a cubic zirconia design for £475 to a 14kt gold and lab-grown diamond version for £6,500. Other designers add a point of difference with coloured gemstones or unusual cuts, such as heart- or pear-shaped stones, or a mixture of shapes, like in the Duchess’s necklace.

“The Fortuna necklace is an ideal piece for a modern goddess like Meghan Markle, who is dynamic and doesn’t follow the crowd,” says the designer, Logan Hollowell. “She is thoughtful with the designs and outfits she chooses. Every piece I design conveys an idea and the ideas behind Meghan’s piece – luck, fortune and celestial brilliance – fit her perfectly.”

The Fortuna necklace comes in three different lengths and is available with lab-grown diamonds, from around £26,000, or natural diamonds for around £44,500. Meghan’s version is set with natural diamonds, Hollowell confirmed. But the Duchess has worn lab-grown diamonds in the past, including pieces by the British brand Kimai, whose Nava tennis necklace features randomly sized lab-grown diamonds in gold bezel settings for a modern, almost casual look.

“With the rise of ‘quiet luxury’ and a growing appreciation for refined, classic pieces, tennis necklaces have become an ideal accessory: they are timeless staples that perfectly align with the understated luxury aesthetic,” says Kimai co-founder Jessica Warch. “Our clients embrace effortless elegance, often pairing tennis necklaces with T-shirts and denim, adding a refined touch to their everyday style.” And of course, should those clients find themselves rubbing shoulders with A-listers at a Hollywood gala, they have just the necklace for it.