If fashion is a statement then the jewellery we wear is the exclamation point at the end, with different pieces used to draw the eye and capture something personal about ourselves.
Whilst some statements, such as those found with heart jewellery, are obvious and universal, there are other statement pieces that have for various reasons stirred debate and courted controversy.
Here are some of the most head-turning.
The Affair Of The Diamond Necklace
It is a story too crazy to possibly be fiction and one that could only have ever involved Marie Antoinette.
The full story is too long to get into at this juncture, but the short version is that Louis XV of France made his mistress a necklace worth over £13m that would surpass all others, but died before it was finished.
Marie Antoinette was asked to buy it but refused, but given that her signature had been forged was accused both of being a spendthrift and lying about it, to the point that the whole affair is given partial credit for starting the French Revolution.
Beyonce And The Tiffany Diamond
The yellow Tiffany Diamond is one of the most famous jewels in history, and has only been worn by only four women since it was discovered: Mary Whitehouse in 1957, Audrey Hepburn, Lady Gaga and Beyonce.
However, largely because of the considerable attention the collaboration between Beyonce and Tiffany received, not least because it was the first advertising collaboration she has done with her husband Jay-Z, it also led to criticism given the diamond’s controversial roots as a blood diamond.
A Matter Of Manhood
Inspiration for a jewellery collection can come from many different places, but a 2018 collection by Yves Saint Laurent turned heads by creating an entire line of jewellery with a somewhat explicit origin.
The “penis pendant” and accompanying earrings were a limited edition line by YSL, but they were far from the first, with Kesha’s Grow a Pear collection having phallic jewellery, as did a famously controversial cross led to criticism from religious groups.