Long elegant beaded handmade choker necklace
Colorful African beaded necklace, Beaded shawl necklace, Zulu necklace, African jewelry, Masai necklace, Women necklace, Statement necklaces. These are Zulu choker necklaces mainly worn during weddings. This statement necklace gained its inspiration from the local Maasai women In Kenya, although beaded jewelry is very common in Africa often finding similarities in jewelry with other African countries such as Tanzania, South Africa etc. It is handmade using local shanga-shanga beads. The beads are strung in a pattern then slowly and tightly wrapped around and stitched to a thick woven cord that gives the necklace a consistent shape and form. Even the closure – a beaded ball and loop – abides by the Masai tradition. The confident wearer of this uniquely stunning statement necklace will be sure to receive many compliments.

Collection Story

Most traditional Masaai bead work conveys notions of coming of age, courtship and marriage. It’s a feminine craft that, like the best poetry or art or music, expresses both explicit and intuitive meaning.

Indeed, like a language, the bead work is encoded using a limited number of colors and geometric patterns, and, except for white which always symbolizes spiritual love and purity, each color possesses sharply contrasting connotations, one positive, the other negative.
The necklaces here all have only the best and happiest of meanings, and although I offer a small story to enliven the beads, you’re welcome to intuit your own.

** Please note that the colors of the necklace may not be reproduced exactly the same on your screen. These photos are color corrected and edited to match as closely to the actual necklace but that will not make up for color differences due to monitor color output.