Georgian paste riviere

Large and absolutely luscious Georgian paste riviere, circa 1800. In 1734 George-Frederic Stras of Paris developed a high lead content paste and the result was a brilliant and hard stone that could take a high polish – the eponymous ‘stras’. Fashionable ladies everywhere embraced these new paste ‘jewels’.  The care and workmanship that went into making the best paste jewellery produced glorious pieces that would have dazzled at the greatest of occasions. The stones were foiled to add extra brilliance and catch and reflect light. This graduated riviere is gold backed with colourless paste set in foiled, closed back silver settings. It is 16.5 inches long and the pastes measure 1/3 of an inch by 1/3 of an inch at front centre graduating to 1/4 of an inch by 1/4 of an inch next to the integral paste clasp. Utterly gorgeous thing.

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