Diamond Medallion Multi-Strand Beaded Necklace

• Multi-strand cascade
• Hand-woven diamond medallion at each shoulder
• Adjustable slide closure
• Fair-trade
• Artisan-made

Because each necklace is hand-strung and hand-woven bead by bead, strand length, color placement and medallion pattern vary slightly from piece to piece.

This necklace is hand-strung and hand-woven in Guatemala, where seed-bead work sits alongside the country's better-known backstrap-loom weaving as a working craft. The small glass beads are threaded and stitched by hand rather than machine-loomed, which is what gives the piece its uneven cascade and its dense medallion panels.

The diamond motif repeated in the woven medallions recurs across Guatemalan textile and beadwork, particularly in the huipils of Maya communities. Here it does structural work as well as decorative — anchoring the point where the loose strands meet the cord and giving the design two sculptural focal points at the shoulders.

Each piece begins with thousands of seed beads sorted by color and hand-strung onto waxed cotton cord, one at a time. The medallions are worked separately in a tighter, patterned stitch that locks rows of beads into a solid panel, then joined to the strands and finished with a knotted, adjustable closure sized to the wearer.

• Technique: Guatemalan seed-bead weaving

Wipe clean with a soft dry cloth and store flat or hanging, away from moisture, perfume and direct sun. The color coating on seed beads can dull with repeated contact.