Color-Blocked Triple-Strand Beaded Necklace

• Triple-strand construction
• Graduated bead sizes
• Color-blocked segments from gray to rust to black to sage
• Gold-tone end caps
• Lobster clasp with 3-inch extender chain

The magnesite and serpentine are cut from natural stone, so slight variation in color, veining and shape is expected from strand to strand.

Multi-strand beaded necklaces built on graduated, color-blocked segments are a familiar form in American beadwork — stringers plan a piece the way a painter blocks in color fields, with soft neutrals at the shoulder and heavier saturation at the drop. Here that logic runs across three strands at once, so the color transitions have to line up cleanly, strand to strand.

Magnesite is a soft, porous mineral often cut into simple geometric shapes like the tubes at the top. Serpentine takes its name from its mottled, snakeskin-like surface and holds a steady earthy green that pairs easily with other natural materials. Black vulcanite — a hardened rubber compound — became a lightweight stand-in for jet in twentieth-century costume jewelry.

The strands are matched by size and shade first, then strung by hand so the color transitions read as one composition rather than three ropes side by side. Plain gold-tone caps and a lobster clasp keep the closure simple, so the beadwork stays the focus.

• Technique: Hand-strung beadwork

Wipe the beads with a dry, soft cloth after wear and store the necklace flat to keep the strands from tangling or losing tension.