Turquoise, Carnelian, Bone Chain & African Brass Bell Pendant Necklace

African Brass Bell:

A fantastic earthy African-inspired statement necklace! African brass bicones and an ancient-looking African brass bell mix with Chinese turquoise and replicas of ancient Chinese coins making this unique multi-strand necklace a blend of two different cultures. This soulful piece is also a fusion of the ancient and modern with the antiqued brass beads and coins in contrast to the shiny agate rings and carnelian beads. Natural brass, antiqued coins, bone rings and earthy turquoise give this necklace an overall rustic character with the perfectly cut and polished carnelian, shiny yellow agate rings and brass clasp adding a little elegance. This exotic neckpiece is a beautiful harmony of cultures, times and styles as well as being geometrically balanced and visually pleasing. 

These African brass bells are a mixture of newly made bells and ancient ones. The new ones are 3-D castings made in Africa from hand-shaped wax patterns from a village near Kumasi, Ghana via a time-intensive process referred to as “lost wax” method.  They are made, one by one, by weaving wax "wires" into a form, investing them in clay, burning out the wax and pouring molten brass into the mold. Each mold is hand made making each bead or fetish slightly different from the next. This bell is a working bell having a pleasant ring. 

The African brass bicone beads are handmade by people living in Cameroon. They are individually made so each one is unique. They are antiqued, rough and inexact making them very exotic and ancient-looking. They are often a mix of newly made and old beads. The newer beads are hand forged by pounding while the older beads were cast. 

The coins are aluminum replicas of ancient Chinese coins having symbols on both sides of the coin. Also from China, the turquoise has a weathered look and has a wonderful range of colors from light blues and greens to dark browns. 

All four strands of the necklace attach to unique bone rings from India and a giant brass lobster clasp brings the ends together. This shortest strand of the necklace is 14”, the longest 19” and the pendant itself averages about 1.5 inches. You can use the extra chain to extend the necklace up to 4 additional inches.