Multicolor Three-Strand Kantha Bead Necklace

• Triple-strand design
• Hand-wrapped fabric beads in mixed prints
• Tiger's eye, carnelian and aventurine gemstone accents
• 3 in extender for adjustable fit
• Lead- and nickel-free alloy hardware

Each bead is wrapped from a different scrap of kantha cloth, and the gemstone beads are natural — so color, print and stone placement shift from one necklace to the next.

Kantha is a running-stitch textile from West Bengal and neighboring Bangladesh, originally a way of layering worn cotton — saris, dhotis — and binding it row by row into quilts and wraps. Old cloth was mended into something new; nothing was thrown out.

Here, strips of that stitched cloth are wound tight around wooden bead cores, layer over layer, so the prints and stitch lines of the original scraps show up in miniature on every bead. Because each bead is wrapped from a different piece of fabric, no two necklaces read the same.

Tiger's eye, carnelian and aventurine are strung between the fabric beads — warm golden-brown, deep orange-red, and cool flecked green. Their polish sits against the matte weave of the cotton and gives the color mix its punctuation.

• Technique: Kantha fabric-wrapped beadwork

Wipe the fabric-wrapped beads with a soft, dry cloth. Store flat, away from moisture and direct sun, so the colors don't fade.