Four strands of repurposed textiles-covered wooden beads intertwine to create a kaleidoscope of color and culture. This jewelry craft creates a lasting change for artisans by offering them dignified work with fair wages and safe working conditions.
- Uniquely Crafted: Each necklace boasts a vibrant selection of Kantha beads, artfully arranged in increasing size towards the center.
- One-of-a-Kind: Made from repurposed Kantha textiles, ensuring that every necklace carries a unique blend of colors and patterns.
- Perfect Fit: Measures a comfortable 17" at the shortest strand, complemented by a 3" extender for customizable fit.
- Ethically Made: Sustainably handcrafted by skilled women artisans in India, making each piece a testament to talent and sustainability.
- Gift of Love: Perfect for the environmentally-conscious fashionista, it's not just a piece of jewelry, it's a story of resilience and artistry.
Beauty isn't perfect, it's authentic. This piece is artistically created by hand where beauty and imperfections go together wonderfully. Please accept and appreciate minor imperfections and variations which are true characteristics of this craft.
design: Four graduated strands of round, fabric-wrapped beads build into a bold collar-style necklace, with the largest beads clustered at center front and tapering smaller toward the back closure.
size: Measures 17" at the shortest strand, with a 3" extender chain for adjustable fit; the four strands graduate in length to create the layered, multi-tier drape.
material: Wooden bead cores wrapped in repurposed Kantha cotton textile; gold-plated brass chain, jump rings, and lobster clasp.
features: Four-strand graduated design, hand-wrapped textile beads in mixed prints and colors, 3" adjustable extender, gold-plated brass hardware, one-of-a-kind color combination
care: Keep beads dry and away from perfume, lotion, and direct sunlight, and store the necklace flat or gently coiled to protect the fabric wrapping and brass finish.
disclaimer: Because each bead is wrapped from a reclaimed piece of textile, no two necklaces are alike and slight variation in color placement and pattern is a natural mark of the handwork, not a flaw.
The Story
Kantha is a centuries-old textile tradition from the Bengal region, spanning West Bengal in India and neighboring Bangladesh. Women historically layered worn cotton saris and dhotis and joined them with simple running stitches, turning fabric too worn to wear into quilts, wraps, and covers passed down through families.
This necklace draws on that same instinct for reuse: strips of reclaimed Kantha cloth are wrapped tightly around wooden bead cores, so each bead carries a fragment of the original textile's pattern, a floral here, a stripe or block print there. Because the source fabric is never uniform, the mix of prints across the four strands is unrepeatable from one necklace to the next.
Worn as a statement piece, the necklace carries that history of transformation forward. It isn't a costume reference to a place, but a wearable result of a specific, ongoing textile practice, cloth that would otherwise be discarded, cut, wrapped, and restrung into something new.
Women artisans in India sort and cut scraps of reclaimed Kantha textile, then wrap and stitch each piece tightly around a small wooden bead core by hand, working through dozens of beads per necklace so the fabric lies smooth and the pattern shows cleanly. Once the beads are finished, they're sorted by size and color and strung across four strands with gold-plated brass jump rings, graduated from smallest at the ends to largest at the center front, before the chain extender and clasp are attached to finish the piece.
Craft & Materials
- Made In: India
- Craft Tradition: Kantha textile beadwork
- Ideal For: Anyone who wants a bold, colorful statement necklace with a handmade, sustainable story behind it
- Wear It With: Let it anchor a solid-color top or simple dress so the mix of prints stays the focal point.
- Purpose: Statement necklace, special-occasion wear, everyday bold accessorizing, gifting
- Metal: Gold-plated brass
Questions & Answers
What is Kantha fabric?
Kantha is a traditional textile from the Bengal region of India and Bangladesh, originally made by layering and stitching together worn cotton saris and cloth. Here, reclaimed Kantha textile is wrapped around wooden beads rather than stitched into a quilt.
What are the beads made of?
Each bead has a wooden core hand-wrapped in a piece of repurposed Kantha cotton textile, so the color and pattern of every bead comes from the original fabric it was cut from.
Will my necklace look exactly like the one in the photo?
No, and that's by design. Because the beads are wrapped from reclaimed fabric, the exact mix of colors and patterns on your necklace will be one-of-a-kind.
How long is the necklace and does it adjust?
The shortest of the four strands measures 17", and a 3" extender chain at the back lets you adjust the fit.
How should I care for it?
Keep it away from moisture, perfume, and direct sun, and store it flat or loosely coiled so the fabric-wrapped beads and brass hardware stay in good condition.
