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 order'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 woman usually wears her commander's cross on a bow on the shoulder of her dress^{[citation needed]}.

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.

Select list of badges suspended from neck riband

Some nations confer honors which are signified in the form of a badge which is worn suspended from a ribbon (also known as riband or ribband) around the neck, including:

Name	Country	Notes
Bharat Ratna	India	Highest civilian decoration of India.
Order of the Bath	United Kingdom	Ranks of Knight Commander and Companion.
Order of St Michael and St George		Ranks of Knight Commander and Companion.
Royal Victorian Order		Ranks of Knight Commander and Commander.
Order of the British Empire		Ranks of Knight Commander and Companion.
Order of Merit
Order of the Companions of Honour
Order of St. John		Ranks of Commander or higher.
Legion of Honour	France	Rank of Commander.
Order of Merit
Order of the Defender of the Realm	Malaysia	Rank of Companion, male recipient only (Female recipients version used the ribbon tied in a bow)
Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia
Order of Loyalty to the Royal Family of Malaysia
Order of Merit
Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang	Pahang,  Malaysia	Rank of Companion
Order of the Crown of Perlis	Perlis,  Malaysia	Rank of Companion
Order of Prince Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail of Perlis
Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak	Sarawak,  Malaysia	Rank of Companion and Officer, male recipient only (Female recipients version used the ribbon tied in a bow)
Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak
Order of Kinabalu	Sabah,  Malaysia	Rank of Companion or below
July 1 Medal	China	Awarded by the Chinese Communist Party
August 1 Medal		Not to be confused with the order with the same name established in 1955
Military William Order	Netherlands
Order of the Netherlands Lion
Order of Orange-Nassau
Pour le Mérite	Prussia, German Empire
Grand Cross of the Iron Cross	Prussia, German Empire & Nazi Germany	Consists of the 1813 Grand Cross, 1870 Grand Cross, 1914 Grand Cross and 1938 Grand Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross	Nazi Germany
Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross
German Order		Awarded by the Nazi Party
Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary	Hungary	Ranks of Commander's Cross with star and Commander's Cross.
Royal Order of Sahametrei	Cambodia	Rank of Commander.
Order of Canada	Canada	Ranks of Companion or Officer.
Order of Ontario
Medal of Honor	United States	Highest military decoration of the United States Armed Forces.
Legion of Merit		If at the rank of Commander. The Legion of Merit is awarded in degrees only to foreign nationals and its neck order is thus not available to U.S. citizens.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Texas Medal of Valor
Surgeon General's Medallion
George Washington Spymaster Award
Order of Australia	Australia	If rank of Officer or higher.
Order of the Holy Sepulchre	Vatican City
Order of the Crown of Thailand	Thailand	Second Class and Third Class.
Order of the White Elephant
Order of the Direkgunabhorn
Order of Ramkeerati
Order of Chula Chom Klao		Second Class (Grand Commander and Knight Commander).
Order of Rama		Second Class and Third Class.
Order of the Rising Sun	Japan	Second Class and Third Class.
Order of the Sacred Treasure
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise	Ukraine	Second Class and Third Class.
Order of Merit		First class.
Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky		First class.
Order of Liberty

See also

• Order
• Order of chivalry
• Order of merit
• Collar (order)

Notes

References

• Duckers, Peter. (2004). British orders and decorations. Princes Risborough : Shire. ISBN 978-0-7478-0580-9; OCLC 55587484
• Paul Hieronymussen, Paul and Christine Crowley. (1967). Orders, medals and decorations of Britain and Europe. London: Blandford Press. OCLC 431846008
• McCreery, Christopher. 2005). The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History and Development. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-3940-8; OCLC 185201497
• Peterson, James W., Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley. (2001). Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States. San Ramon, California: Orders and Medals Society of America. ISBN 978-1-890974-09-1; OCLC 45437720

External links

• Collars of Orders of Knighthood and Livery Collars