Forty-One Strand Antique Gold Seed Bead Necklace

• 41 individual beaded strands
• Hand-crocheted construction
• Button and loop closure
• Lightweight layered drape

Each strand is hand-crocheted and strung bead by bead, so slight differences in strand length, bead spacing and finish are normal from one piece to the next.

The construction is what makes it read like fabric rather than jewelry. Each of the forty-one strands is worked on a crochet hook rather than strung on wire, so the beads lock into a flexible cord that drapes and moves instead of holding a rigid line.

Multi-strand seed bead necklaces are a long-standing tradition in the Himalayas, where beads arriving through overland trade were built into layered pieces defined by repetition rather than by one central element. Volume comes from accumulation — many thin strands together — and the design language is set by how differently light catches each one.

This piece follows that same logic. No single strand carries it; the density, and the way the strands gather at the neckline, are the whole design.

• Technique: Tibetan multi-strand crochet beadwork

Store flat or hang fully extended so the strands stay separated. Keep away from moisture, lotion and perfume.