Cobalt Seed Bead Necklace with Carved Bone Elephants

• Multi-strand seed bead construction
• Hand-carved bone elephants on both sides
• Button-and-loop closure
• Cascading strand silhouette

Each necklace is handcrafted, so bead color, carving detail and finish vary slightly from one piece to the next.

The elephant is one of the most enduring motifs in Indian carving, appearing in temple work, textiles and jewelry, and the form recurs often in pieces meant to be worn rather than displayed.

Here the motif is rendered in carved bone — a material Indian artisans have long favored for small-scale figurative work because it takes fine detail well and holds up to handling. The carver shapes the elephant's outline at the scale of a bead, incises the surface detail, then drills and strings the piece.

Multi-strand seed bead necklaces are their own established craft in India, built strand by strand until the piece has enough body to drape and move with the wearer. Pairing that beadwork with a carved focal element, as this piece does, is a common way of anchoring an otherwise fluid, cascading design.

• Technique: Hand-carved bone beadwork

Store separately from other jewelry. Keep away from moisture and chemicals, and wipe gently with a soft dry cloth after wear.