Take a look at the following painting from the tomb of Ipuy, the royal sculptor who served King Ramesses II around 1250 B.C.
Look at the collar necklaces they are wearing.
Now look at the following Masai collar as worn by a Masai woman from Kenya:
Or look at the following wedding collar from the Zulu nation of South Africa:
It's very likely that they got the idea from the Ancient Egyptians, whose glittering civilisation lasted from around 8000 BC to about 500 BC (when they got invaded by the Persians). During those 7500 years, the other Africans would have come into contact with them, been amazed, and promptly copied their styles (as you do), and they've lasted ever since.
The only difference is that the modern collars are made with cheaper beads and the ones on Ipuy's tomb were probably gold and lapis lazuli beads. He was the royal sculptor after all and judging from his tomb, on a very good salary.
Here is one more comparison:
