The rivière is a style of necklace surviving the centuries and that is still regaled today. Just check out versions in diamonds and gemstones from luminaries as Harry Winston and Tiffany & Co.

Often in graduated sizes and linked one after another, the stones take center stage and are placed in understated settings. Wildly popular today, the grand dame of fashion, Anna Wintour, rarely goes without one, or several, stacked atop each other. From paste to amethysts, she certainly does justice to them all.

This is late Georgian or early Victorian version is lined with brilliant pastes. Fine black dot pastes move from larger to smaller round stones. Encased in pinched silver collets, they are set closed backed.

The stones read brilliant and refractive and still maintain their white or clear appearance. Indeed, others will be busy guessing whether these are diamonds or not. And if they were their richer counterparts, the price point would be at least 10x more. The last one offered was seven years ago so don't hesitate.

Historical note: What is black dot paste? It is considered some of the finest paste (leaded glass). Always placed in settings that are entirely closed in metal except for the top area, black pitch was applied to the bottom. Then the paste stone was placed within it to hold it steady while the metal is pushed around it. Since the bottom has a large culet (the bottom of the stone) just as diamonds did at the time, when viewing it closely, a tiny black dot is evident.