Necklet

Summary

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.

The Apollo 13 crew, with President Nixon, wearing their Presidential Medals of Freedom on ribbons
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour worn on a ribbon.
Commander's cross of the Legion of Honour worn on a ribbon.

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.[1]

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 edit

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 British Empire   United Kingdom Ranks of Knight Commander and Commander.
Royal Victorian Order Ranks of Knight Commander and Commander.
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 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 Compainion
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 [2]
Order of the Netherlands Lion [3]
Order of Orange-Nassau [4]
Pour le Mérite   Prussia,   German Empire [5]
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
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. [6]
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.[7]
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.[8]
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 edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Orders medals and decorations of Britain and Europe", Paul Hieronymussen, London 1967
  2. ^ Military Order of William Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, official website; Grand Cross, worn without ribbon on the left breast or around the neck on a 55 millimetre wide ribbon, or as a sash.
  3. ^ Order of the Netherlands Lion Archived 2009-08-31 at the Wayback Machine, official website; Commander, hangs from the ribbon, which is worn by men around the neck
  4. ^ Order of Orange Nassau Archived 2010-03-10 at the Wayback Machine, official website; Grand Officer, hanging from the ribbon, which is worn by men around the neck
  5. ^ Pour le Mérite; n.b., 1667, cross was worn around the neck from a long black, "watered ribbon"
  6. ^ Medal of Honor, official website
  7. ^ USAMilitaryMedals.com: Legion of Merit Medal Ribbon; n.b., The Legion of Merit is one of only two United States military decorations to be issued as a neck order (the other being the Medal of Honor), and the only United States decoration which may be issued in award degrees (much like an Order of chivalry or certain Orders of Merit).
  8. ^ "Order of Australia Booklet" (PDF) (14th ed.). September 2020.

References edit

  • 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 edit

  • Collars of Orders of Knighthood and Livery Collars