Jeanne De Luz De St. Remy Lamotte-Valois, countess de, a French adventuress, born in Champagne about 1756, died in London, Aug. 23, 1791. After marrying a count de Lamotte, who was a spendthrift, she went to Paris, and succeeded in being introduced to Marie Antoinette, who took some interest in her, and to Cardinal de Rohan, grand almoner to the king. She persuaded the latter that she could conciliate for him the affection of the queen, who she told him was desirous of getting a magnificent diamond necklace, then in the hands of the court jewellers, which was worth about 1,600,-000 francs. She induced a Mlle. d'Oliva who resembled Marie Antoinette, to personate her at a midnight interview with Rohan in the gardens of Versailles. With the real signature of Rohan and a forged one of the queen, the countess got possession of the necklace (Feb. 2, 1786), which she sold in London, but pretended that she had delivered it to the queen, and for several months concealed the robbery by producing forged notes apparently written by the latter. Finally a direct application of the jewellers to her majesty awoke suspicion, which resulted in a public trial before the parliament. All France was excited over the affair.

The cardinal was discharged from all accusation, while the countess was sentenced to be whipped, branded on the shoulder, and imprisoned for life. After being incarcerated about two years at the Salpetriere, she escaped, June 5, 1787, and fled to London, where she published libels against the queen. Her husband survived her, and twice wrote a complete history of the affair; the first manuscript was taken from him by the French police; the second was mutilated in its most important parts. This mutilated manuscript was printed in 1858, under the supervision of L. Lacour, with the title Affaire du collier: Memoires inedits du comte de Lamotte- Valois. The best account of the affair is to be found in Louis Blanc's Histoire de la revolution francaise.