A wonderfully impressionistic elephant, hand-carved from African Queen jasper and accented by copper and brass trade beads from Ghana, forms the focal point of this necklace. Bone rondelles, resembling ivory, and picture jasper nuggets give the necklace an exotic, tribal cast, evoking myths of the “Dark Continent.” This is a beautiful and unique necklace; I almost didn’t put this one up for sale!
The pendant is hand-carved from African Queen jasper and hung on a hand-wrapped copper bail (I purchased the pendant; the bail is my own work). The clasp is solid copper and crafted in Bali. The beads are strung on beading wire, rather than hand-knotted, because rough quality of the Ghana trade beads made them unsuitable for silk stringing. The pendant is roughly 1.5 inches in diameter, and the necklace is approximately 20 inches long, including the clasp.
Please note that the display mannequin in the photo is about half-human scale; the necklace has been draped around the back of the mannequin to simulate how the necklace would hang. Please refer to the other photos for a picture of the entire necklace and an indication of scale. Copper and brass are not hypoallergenic and those prone to skin irritation should consider one of my pieces using sterling silver or vermeil findings. The trade beads were sold to me as copper and brass, and to visual inspection that appears to be accurate, however I make no representation as to the metal content of these beads because they were imported from a developing nation, and reserve the right not to ship this necklace to any state with strict lead testing requirements. Like all of my jewelry, this necklace is not intended for use by persons under 13.
About the stones:
Jasper is a form of quartz (silicon dioxide) and is a member of the chalcedony family. Jasper is an opaque and fine grained stone and comes in a rainbow of patterns and colors. It is a hard, with a Mohs hardness of 7.
In folklore, jasper can cure blindness and bring rain, and is believed to be a calming, soothing stone that protects against negative forces, particularly those arising from within.. Brown jaspers are supposed to fight against pollution and attune one to nature.
