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parure is a matching set of jewelry, a custom that began to be very popular in the Seventeenth Century. Most specifically, a parure is an entire matching suite or wardrobe of jewelry and can include a necklace, earrings, brooch, bracelet, a comb, a diadem and other pieces. Very often, the individual pieces of a parure can be changed or modified with various hooks and clasps so that each item can be worn in different ways. Usually the stuff of royalty and the elite, the parure was an indication of station. The Emperor Napoleon was especially fond of giving such suites to his wife, Josephine. Some magnificent sets can be seen in the crown jewels of England and France.
Garnet Parure image courtesy of The Three Graces.
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