trem·blant | träm-blän
noun
A general term for jewelry with a trembling effect when the wearer moves, which is produced by elements set upon stiff wires that move
Tremblant or “en tremblant” is a term that means “to tremble” in the original French from which it derives. The term was used in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe jewelry that has the effect of moving slightly when the wearer moves. This is done with a series of stiff wires and springs that hold the jewelry piece together. The trembler is the piece that would initiate this movement, and the technique was particularly popular with brooches because they were outward facing and would move in the light, which itself often moved at the time.
