Black Labradorite After Hortense Necklace

Queen Hortense's sapphire and diamond necklace was stolen from the Louvre last year. Whether it still exists as a piece, or whether the stones were pulled and the setting destroyed, nobody knows. The inventory record is still there. The necklace is not.

The center stone is black labradorite: a rectangular slab of feldspar that reads matte gray in flat light and shifts blue when the angle changes, the optical effect produced by light scattering between microscopic layers in the stone's internal structure. The diagonal framework is clear iridescent glass, pinned at each intersection by black glass ginkgo-shaped beads splattered with silver. A red strand threads through the framework continuously, visible at every crossing. Along the base, a blue strand carries two black oval stones flanking the center.

Wear it with a black turtleneck to a museum opening, or a white button-down left open at the collar on a night that starts with dinner and ends somewhere else.

Construction Details

• Black labradorite rectangular stone, center
• Clear iridescent glass spike framework
• Black glass ginkgo-shaped beads with silver splattering at each intersection
• Continuous red strand threaded through framework at every crossing
• Blue strand base with blue glass drop beads
• Two black oval glass stones flanking the center labradorite
• Nickel-free clasp closure