Zulu African beaded choker necklace with earrings

These are Zulu choker necklaces mainly worn during weddings. This statement necklace gained its inspiration from the local Masai 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 Masai 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.