Parures have come to define a matching suite of jewelry that most completely could include: earrings, bracelets, statement necklaces, diadems, aigrettes, and even buttons. Most common were demi-parures (small suites) that were generally composed of a pair of earrings and a necklace. These sets would have started life being housed in custom-fitted boxes, that when found today, continue to dazzle and delight!

Parures became popular among the French aristocracy in the late 17th century and by the 18th century they were found throughout Europe, where elaborate suites of jewelry met their perfect backdrop with the luxurious, corseted gowns that were favored until the end of the century when parures adapted to the less confining Empire style.

Today, as with the past, fashion evolutions usually include jewelry, and people often define matching suites of jewelry as stodgy, but I beg to differ! We love a parure and find them highly adaptable to almost any look.