Description Beaded necklaces (namysto) are one of the oldest forms of women’s ornaments in Ukraine, and have many names (monysto, busy, korali) testifying to their long history and important role in Ukrainian culture. Not only adornments. They carry deep symbolic significance. One would never leave home without covering their neck with some kind of ornament (as it was akin to going out naked!). Be it a festive day, a celebration, a Sunday or a normal working day, a lady’s neck was always adorned with rows of elaborate beads. These beaded necklaces were also amulets, protecting one from evil spirits & bad people. The earliest neck ornaments were made of pits & seeds taken from vegetables, fruits, & grains & were later replaced by stone, metal, & glass beads. Later they were crafted from expensive natural materials like coral, amber, pearls, glass, smelt, & garnets. Only wealthy bourgeois could afford the latter. They were generally protective or informative, for instance, they could tell how wealthy a family was since six strings of real coral beads could cost as much as a pair of oxen. Rowan was known as a tree-amulet that was used in magic & folk medicine. Considered a magical plant for many centuries, it played an important role in the beliefs & rituals of the ancient Slavs, Scandinavians, & Celts. In some places the peasants, when they returned from the cemetery, hung rowan rods over the door, so that the deceased “did not return home.” And in case the deceased turned into a ghoul after death, he was nailed to the ground by a stake, which was sometimes made from rowan. Wanderers carved walking staffs out of Rowan, placing a leftover chip in their cheek protecting them from any sorcery on their travels. The colour red symbolizes protection, beauty, vitality, fertility and strength in the old-Slavic traditions. Each necklace is unique, as every wood bead has been hand carved and hand painted by Carpathian craftsmen. They are pleasant to the touch, taking on the temperature of the body, and serves one as a talisman. Imported from Ukraine in the 90s ~ 3 strand wood bead necklace on light red nettle string
