Belize

Bold, bright colors and sterling silver elegantly flow together in this gorgeous neckpiece. Modern components and styling mix with a classic design to create this magnificent piece of museum-quality art jewelry. Although having an overall contemporary design, this piece manages a necessary bit of earthiness with the addition of coral and horn beads that make it especially intriguing.

I was inspired to create this artisan piece of jewelry after seeing a picture in a travel magazine of a toucan sitting amongst trees in Belize. The toucan itself was black and yellow and the beak was absolutely amazing, mostly lime green with a splash of amber yellow and coral red tips. The colors of this necklace are very similar to that of the toucan in the picture. In designing the necklace, I chose lush, vivid colors, added silver to unify the various components, and added some earthiness with the natural horn beads and rings. Filled with the soul of the toucan from the picture, I fittingly named the piece Belize.

Resin comprises a large part of this handcrafted necklace, making it quite a bit lighter than it may otherwise appear. Both the large amber yellow bead in the center as well as the translucent lime green beads are made from tree resin. They are handcrafted in Java, Indonesia where resin is collected from trees, mixed with color, poured into containers, hardened and then cut, shaped, and sanded. Due to their handmade nature, there will be slight variations in color and size.

The four red beads are actually slices of bamboo coral that is drilled and dyed this brilliant red hue. Notice the natural texture and "imperfections" of the coral segments. The large black beads are black onyx. All of the silver beads in this piece are actually silver-coated terra cotta beads from Greece. They are hand-formed from a unique mixture of terra cotta clays and kiln-fired. They are fired a second time with rough copper and then coated with 100% pure silver. The two larger beads at the ends of the necklace undergo the extra process of antiquing.

Beautiful and natural horn rings complete the necklace which closes with an elegantly simple handmade, hammered sterling silver S-hook clasp. This original handcrafted artisan necklace can be adjusted from 16 to 19 inches using the sterling silver chain. You may also be interested in the stunning bracelet Belize that was designed to accompany this necklace.