Necklet vs. Necklace

Main Difference

The main difference between Necklet and Necklace is that the Necklet is a orders that are worn on the neck and Necklace is a article of jewellery.

• Necklet

  A necklet is a type of decoration which is designed to be worn and displayed around a person’s neck, rather than hung (draped) from the chest as is the standard practice for displaying most decorations.

  In the Middle Ages most orders’s insignias were worn on a collar – see livery collar. Later, in the 16th century the insignia of the French Order of the Holy Spirit were worn on a ribbon. When, in the late 17th century, orders were divided into several classes, the cross on a ribbon around the neck became the privilege of a commander. A decoration in that rank is usually awarded to high-ranking officials like brigadiers, consuls and secretaries of State.

  A female usually wears her commander’s cross on a bow on the shoulder of her dress.

  In chivalric orders like the Order of Malta or the Teutonic Order the insignia of the knights is worn hanging from a ribbon around the neck. The same is true of the Order of the Golden Fleece.In the 19th century it was not unusual to wear a Grand Cross, normally hanging from a ribbon over the shoulder to the hip as on a necklet when this was considered more convenient or when another Grand Cross was worn.

• Necklace

  A necklace is an article of jewelry that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as symbols of wealth and status, given that they are commonly made of precious metals and stones.

  The main component of a necklace is the band, chain, or cord that wraps around the neck. These are most often rendered in precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum. Necklaces often have additional attachments suspended or inset into the necklace itself. These attachments typically include pendants, lockets, amulets, crosses, and precious and semi-precious materials such as diamond, pearls, rubies, emeralds, garnets, and sapphires.