Ancient Amazonite and Carnelian Charm Necklace

A breezy, fun necklace with ancient Amazonite and Carnelian beads, along with my own granulated beads in silver and gold and silver charm accents on a supple silver chain.

These ancient Amazonite beads were carved by a Neolithic artisan many thousands of years ago, but their bright green colour still speaks of new life and springtime energy. During the Neolithic agricultural revolution at the dawn of agriculture, stone in all shades of green became a prized commodity. Beads of Amazonite and Serpentine start to appear as talismanic representations of the new growth and fertility that our ancient ancestors were learning to harness, replacing the older beads of bone, horn and shell just as the green plant foods replaced the animal-based diet of the hunter gatherers.

I have combined these Amazonite beads with contrasting Carnelian in a rich orange, a colour combination seen all over the ancient world. For the granulated beads I created, I chose a pattern that reminds me of raindrops falling on the hills and valleys of earth, filled with seeds and creating a flower as all the elements come together.

I’ve also accented this necklace with my textured silver ring charms. These charms add movement and interest, and also make a soft, ringing sound when their wearer moves. The word “charm” comes from the Latin root word for a song or verse, and also denotes enchantment or magical action through sound. In many ancient cultures, little bells and noisemakers are said to both ward off evil and draw in positive energies and entities such as faeries, “charming” them with the same pleasing sounds their music is said to make.