The room was silent. On November 9, 2016, the United States was vibrating with the aftershocks of a tectonic political shift. While the world looked for speeches, Ruth Bader Ginsburg walked onto the Supreme Court bench wearing a piece of jewelry. It was black. It was beaded. It had sharp, jagged edges that looked like a spiked fence or a piece of medieval armor.
She didn't say a word. She didn't have to. Everyone knew the Ruth Bader Ginsburg necklace she chose that morning was her "Dissent Collar." It was a visual "no."
More Than Just a "Lacy Thing"
People often call these items jabots. Or collars. Honestly, toward the end of her life, they were basically just statement necklaces that she repurposed into judicial armor. Most of us think of judges as these stoic, genderless figures in heavy black polyester. But when Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor started out, they realized the traditional robe was designed for men. It literally has a cutout meant for a shirt and tie.
"We thought it would be appropriate if we included as part of our robe something typical of a woman," Ginsburg once said.
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It started as a way to reclaim space. It became a way to talk without opening her mouth.
The Mystery of the Banana Republic Bib
Here is a weird fact: the most famous piece of jewelry in American legal history came from a mall.
The "Dissent Collar" wasn't some bespoke, diamond-encrusted heirloom. It was a $98 bib-style necklace from Banana Republic. She didn't even buy it herself. She got it in a "Women of the Year" gift bag from Glamour magazine back in 2012.
Think about that. One of the most powerful women in the world wore a piece of costume jewelry to signal her disagreement with the direction of the country. It was democratic. It was accessible. It was kind of perfect.
Decoding the Jewelry Box
Ginsburg had dozens of these things. Her chambers were filled with them, hanging on racks like a curated museum of legal history. She didn't just have a "no" necklace; she had a "yes" one, too.
- The Majority Opinion Collar: This one was gold, crocheted, and much softer. It was a gift from her law clerks in 2006, originally bought at Anthropologie. When she wore this, it meant she was speaking for the court. It was a celebration of consensus.
- The Favorite: Her absolute favorite wasn't the famous dissent piece. It was a simple, elegant white beaded collar she bought in Cape Town, South Africa. You'll see it in her official portrait. It’s the one she wore to Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
- The "Stiffelio" Collar: This was a total fan-girl moment. RBG loved the opera. Like, obsessed. This particular collar was a replica of one worn by Plácido Domingo in the opera Stiffelio. The Metropolitan Opera gave it to her after she admired it.
- The "Stella & Dot" Armor: In 2018, a fan—who happened to be a lawyer and a mom—sent her a spiky, silver bib necklace. Ginsburg loved it. She wrote back a thank-you note saying she’d wear it on the bench. It looked like a shield.
Why It Became a Movement
You've probably seen the tattoos. Or the T-shirts. Maybe a coffee mug. The Ruth Bader Ginsburg necklace isn't just a fashion choice anymore; it’s a symbol of persistence.
Why? Because she was a 100-pound grandmother who could hold back a tide of legal precedent with a piece of lace.
There's this idea that femininity is weak or distracting. Ginsburg flipped that. She used the most "feminine" accessory possible to underscore the most "masculine" trait: authority. By wearing a necklace over a robe, she was saying she didn't have to dress like a man to think like a judge.
The Cultural Impact in 2026
Even years after her passing, the "dissent" aesthetic is everywhere. Brands like Dissent Pins and Awe Inspired still sell replicas or inspired pieces, often donating the profits to the ACLU or Planned Parenthood.
But there's a nuance here that's easy to miss. The necklaces weren't just about being "notorious." They were about Tikkun Olam—the Jewish concept of "repairing the world." Every time she chose a collar, she was reminding the room that a human being was sitting in that chair. A human with a history, a family, and a very specific viewpoint.
The M.M.LaFleur "Family" Collar
One of the most touching pieces in her collection was a custom commission from the brand M.M.LaFleur for her 85th birthday. It wasn't just pretty. It was layered.
The designers used three different types of fabric to represent her life. The top layer was her. The middle layer was a polka-dot pattern that looked like a tie, representing her husband, Marty. The bottom layers represented her children. Inside, they embroidered a quote from Marty: "It's not sacrifice, it's family."
It reminds us that even "The Notorious RBG" didn't do it alone.
How to Carry the Legacy
If you're looking to buy a Ruth Bader Ginsburg necklace or something inspired by it, don't just look for the cheapest version on a fast-fashion site. The whole point of the collars was intentionality.
- Look for purpose: Many small businesses sell these designs and give a portion of the proceeds to the legal causes she championed.
- Understand the occasion: Use jewelry as "wordless communication" in your own life. Wear the "armor" when you need to be brave. Wear the "gold" when you're there to build bridges.
- Support the arts: Remember that many of her favorite pieces were gifts from artists or souvenirs from her travels.
The necklaces are currently part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. They sit there alongside her robes, reminding us that you can be soft and steely all at the same time.
Start by choosing one piece of jewelry that makes you feel powerful. It doesn't have to be a $100 mall necklace. It just has to mean something to you. When you put it on, remember that dissent isn't just about being loud; it's about being right, even when you're standing alone.
Actionable Next Steps
- Visit the Exhibit: If you're in D.C., go to the Smithsonian to see the actual "Dissent Collar" in person. Seeing the scale of it—how small it actually is—changes how you think about her.
- Support the Cause: If you buy a replica, choose a vendor like Dissent Pins that actively funds the ACLU Women's Rights Project, which Ginsburg founded.
- Read the History: Pick up The Collars of RBG by Elinor Carucci and Sara Bader. It features high-resolution photos of 25 different pieces and explains the legal cases associated with each one.