Cream Bone Fan Bib Necklace

• Fan-shaped bib silhouette
• Graduated bone bars
• Openwork beaded lattice
• Matte natural finish with slight surface variation

Bone is a natural material — grain, tone and shape vary slightly from piece to piece, and no two necklaces are exactly alike.

The fan silhouette — wide at the base, narrowing toward the collarbone — is a familiar structure in Indian layered beadwork. Each row is scaled slightly smaller than the one below it, so the piece follows the curve of the neckline instead of hanging straight down.

The open, ladder-like beading between the bone bars does structural work as well as visual. It lets a rigid material flex and drape against the body, and adds a fine repetitive texture that plays against the smooth, matte surface of the bone.

Each bar starts as a raw bone blank, cleaned and cut flat, then sanded and drilled at both ends. Artisans thread the bars together with rows of small wood beads on cord, working from the narrow top down to the wide base and tying off each row so the fan holds its shape. The slight unevenness in tone and polish is a byproduct of hand-shaping, not an error to engineer out.

• Technique: Hand-carved bone

Wipe with a soft, dry cloth after wear. Store flat, away from moisture, perfume and direct sun, to protect the bone's natural surface.