Graduated Textile Bib Necklace in Blue

• Upcycled sari textile beads
• Graduated three-row bib construction
• Brass spacer bars
• Brass extender chain for adjustable fit
• No two beads alike

Because each bead is hand-wrapped in scraps of reclaimed sari cloth, the print, color flecks and placement will vary slightly from the one shown.

Kantha is a Bengali textile tradition of saving worn cotton and silk saris and stitching them into something new. Here the reclaimed cloth is cut into small scraps and wrapped tight around a bead core, one bead at a time, so the patchwork character shows up bead by bead rather than across a flat surface.

Because every sari was printed and worn differently, the blue tones shift from indigo to slate to cornflower along the strand, with the occasional stripe of orange or cream breaking through. The graduated bib shape, with brass bars separating each row, is a more structured silhouette than a traditional kantha piece, but the material still carries the same principle: nothing from the original sari goes to waste.

Women artisans in India hand-wrap each bead individually, pulling a scrap of sari cotton tight around a bead form and cinching the fabric closed with fine thread so the seam sits hidden at the back. The wrapped beads are then sorted by size and strung in graduated rows along brass bars that are bent by hand to hold the collar's curve.

• Technique: Kantha textile upcycling

Keep away from water and perfume. Store flat so the fabric wrap and brass finish hold their shape.