One of the questions I’m often asked is where I got the dainty diamond necklace that I never take off.  I received it for Christmas in 2010 from my late husband, Dimitri.  We were both stationed in Hawaii with the Army and we went to the Tiffany & Co. store at Ala Moana Mall together and he and I chose it together. 

The Perfect Dainty Necklace (and 2 Similar Affordable Options)

He had just finished Ranger school a few months prior, and we knew we were to deploy to Afghanistan a few months later.  It was a surreal and magical time being in Hawaii together, even though we were both gearing up for a big deployment.  We got engaged in September of 2010 and our big wedding was planned for after the deployment was over (July 2012).  We went to the courthouse shortly after Christmas while we were visiting his family in Tampa and we secretly got legally married, just in case the worst happened while we were deployed.  Only our moms, bosses, and a few friends knew because we didn’t share the news because we didn’t want it take anything away from our big church wedding.  Christmas 2010 was our last Christmas together, as he was killed by a sniper in Afghanistan in June of 2011.  I was deployed at the time as well. 

wearing the necklace in December 2010, shortly after Dimitri gave it to me

wearing the necklace in Hawaii in March 2011, shortly before we deployed to Afghanistan

This necklace is incredibly special to me because it’s an understated way to remember him, but I also wear it every day because I absolutely love it now just as much as I did when I got it nearly 13 years ago.  It’s perfectly simple and I never ever take it off.  It’s timeless and classic and it will never go out of style.  I run and lift weights in it, I swim in it, I shower in it, I wear it with dressy outfits and casual outfits.  It’s durable yet beautiful, and I’d wager to say that it’s the most perfect necklace ever.

There are a few different sizes, chain lengths, and chain colors available, so I wanted to share the exact specifications here on the blog today.  Mine is from the Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the Yard collection at Tiffany.

Diamond size: I want to say that mine is .06 carats but they don’t have that currently available- maybe I have the .08 carat option, which is available.  .05 is also available, as are some larger sizes, but for a piece like this that’s nice and dainty, I’d opt for .08 or .05.

Chain length: 15″ length (they currently offer 16″ as the shortest but mine is 15″)

Chain color: yellow gold

If Tiffany is out of your budget, Etsy also has some options that are still fine jewelry but they’re significantly cheaper.  This one looks exactly the same as the Tiffany one but for $167!  I haven’t seen it in person but have had someone message me saying they have it and that it’s beautiful.  Just search for “diamond bezel solitaire necklace” or something like that and I’m sure you’ll find lots of other options too.

If you’d prefer something to get you the look without paying for fine jewelry, Amazon has a dupe that’s spot on!  I ordered this dainty necklace a couple years ago so that I could compare it to my Tiffany one and the chain isn’t as nice (of course) and the bezel is thicker, but the similarity really is quite striking, and it’s only $28.50.  It also has an adjustable chain.  Here is a comparison of the Tiffany necklace on top and the Amazon necklace on bottom:

Hope this helps for anyone wondering about this necklace!

Katie Vail

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