Multicolor Four-Strand Kantha Bead Necklace

• Four-strand layered design
• Fabric-wrapped beads in mixed colors and patterns
• Adjustable 3 in extender
• Lobster clasp closure

Each bead is wrapped by hand from reclaimed fabric, so color placement and pattern vary from piece to piece.

Kantha is a running-stitch quilting tradition from the Bengal region of eastern India and Bangladesh, where layers of worn cotton saris and dhotis were stitched together into quilts and wraps — often with thread drawn from the saris' own borders. The technique turned cloth too worn for daily use into something durable and worth keeping.

The necklace carries that principle of reuse into jewelry. Offcuts of kantha cotton are cut into small pieces and wound tightly around wood bead cores by hand, so each bead holds a fragment of a larger textile — a stripe, a floral sprig, a curl of paisley — rather than a single uniform print.

In workshops in India, scraps are sorted by color, wrapped, then sorted again before being strung four strands deep onto brass chain. Building the graduated strands relies as much on a practiced eye for balancing color across the piece as on steady hands for the wrapping.

• Technique: Kantha fabric-wrapped beadwork

Keep away from moisture and perfume. Store flat in a clean, dry place to protect the fabric-wrapped beads.