This One-of-a-Kind necklace is approx. 21” long, and has a sterling silver toggle clasp.

The Tibetan mermaid pendant is carved from cinnabar and set in a silver repousse bezel. Repousse is a method of embossing a sheet of metal by punching and hammering the piece on alternating sides to create volume.

I love this little mermaid and her look of contentment. I have surrounded her with leopard skin jasper, antique Sherpa coral trade beads, and large red copal beads with repousse caps from Tibet. The Sherpa coral beads were traded in Tibet as coral – but are actually wound glass beads made in china in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. They are named after the ethnic “Sherpa” people who live in the Himalayas of Tibet.

I also used gorgeous carnelian beads from India and antique silver Tuareg beads from Mali, Africa. The Tuareg people are a nomadic tribe and descendants of the Berbers. They were known as the Desert Noblemen and traveled around the Sahara Desert region. The beads date from the early to mid 1900s. These are beautiful old beads with lovely patinas and signs of usage. They must have great stories to tell of distant travels and lives. When you wear this necklace it is fun to look down at all the antique components and wonder who wore them before you, where they were from, what clothing they wore, and … - well it could go on and on for a long time.

Hand crafted in the USA with imported materials.