Necklace c. 20th century

This "Necklace" was made by an anonymous artist with beads and shells, and it’s a beautiful example of how art is as much about process as it is about the final form. Look at the beads and shell fragments, each one a little different, strung together with such care. You can see the artist enjoying the making; the repetition, the placement of the beads, the addition of color with the green stones. This reminds me of painters like Joanne Greenbaum. The colors are so subtle: creams, greens, and little flecks of orange. The texture is everything here; you can almost feel the coolness of the beads and the smoothness of the stones against your skin. Think about that single orange shell; it's a small surprise amidst all that green, like a tiny exclamation point. Jewellery like this is about creating rhythm. It is about making something from almost nothing. It is about the joy of getting lost in the process of making.