A collar-style statement necklace built from upcycled Kantha textile-wrapped beads, arranged in tiered rows and held in place by slim brass plates. Handmade in India by women artisans working with reclaimed cotton saris.
- Material: Upcycled cotton textile-wrapped beads with brass
- Size: 16 Plus 3" Extender
- Details: Multicolor patchwork beads in four layered rows, spaced with brass bars for a structured collar silhouette
- Origin / Craft: Handmade in India using the Kantha tradition of reclaiming and re-stitching vintage sari cloth
Each bead carries a different fragment of printed cotton, so no two necklaces read the same way. The brass spacers give the piece its architectural shape, holding the soft textile spheres in disciplined rows. The result is a bib that feels both folkloric and graphic — textile softness inside a sculpted frame.
Care: Keep textile beads dry and store flat to preserve the collar shape.
design: A collar-style statement necklace with four tiered rows of round textile-wrapped beads, each row held in a slim brass frame so the beads fan out into a structured, sculptural bib.
size: 16" plus 3" extender.
material: Upcycled cotton textile-wrapped beads with brass hardware.
features: Four layered rows, brass bar spacers, lobster clasp with 3" extender chain, no two beads alike
care: Keep the textile beads dry and store the necklace flat to preserve its collar shape.
disclaimer: Because each bead is wrapped from a reclaimed sari fragment, the color and print on every bead is one-of-a-kind and will vary from piece to piece.
The Story
This necklace is built from Kantha textiles — the running-stitch tradition of rural Bengal, practiced across eastern India and Bangladesh, in which layers of worn cotton saris and dhotis are stitched together into new cloth rather than discarded. Kantha began as a practical, household craft, largely done by women repurposing fabric that had already lived a full life as clothing.
Here, that same instinct for reuse is carried into jewelry: instead of stitching the sari layers flat into a quilt, the cotton is cut into small pieces and wrapped tightly around bead cores, so each bead preserves a fragment of someone's original printed sari cloth. Lined up in rows, the beads read as a patchwork record of many different fabrics, which is why no two necklaces come out the same.
The brass bar spacers that hold the beads in tiered rows give the piece its collar shape, a form common to bib and fringe necklaces worn as statement pieces rather than everyday layering jewelry. The pairing of soft, irregular textile beads with a disciplined metal frame is the piece's defining contrast — handwork held inside structure.
Women artisans in India hand-sort reclaimed sari cotton by color and print, then cut and wrap small pieces of the fabric around bead cores one at a time, sealing and shaping each by hand so it holds a clean round form. The wrapped beads are then strung and set into brass channel bars row by row, with each row's spacing and bead count adjusted by eye so the finished collar sits evenly and lies flat against the collarbone. Because the source fabric is never uniform, every bead is placed as a judgment call about color balance across the row.
Craft & Materials
- Made In: India
- Craft Tradition: Kantha textile reclamation
- Ideal For: Someone who wants one necklace to be the whole outfit's statement piece
- Wear It With: Wear with a solid-color crewneck or scoop-neck top so the collar's color and pattern stay the focus
- Purpose: Statement wear, layering over solid tops, evening or event styling, everyday color accent
- Metal: Brass
Questions & Answers
What is this necklace made of?
Beads hand-wrapped in upcycled cotton sari fabric using the Kantha reclamation tradition, set into brass bar spacers.
Will my necklace look exactly like the photo?
Close, but not identical — since each bead is wrapped from a different reclaimed fabric fragment, the exact color placement is one-of-a-kind on every piece.
How long is the necklace?
16 inches with a 3-inch extender chain, so it can sit higher or lower on the collarbone.
How do I clean and store it?
Keep the textile beads away from water and store the necklace flat so the collar rows keep their shape.
Is this necklace handmade?
Yes — it's handmade in India by women artisans who wrap each bead individually from reclaimed sari cotton.
