Hand-framed Maasaï Necklace – one of a kind

Hand-framed Maasaï Necklace – one of a kind

Description & Product Details

This piece of art combines the crafts of Maasaï Mara beading and traditional French framing. Famous for their fearsome reputations as warriors and cattle-rustlers, the Maasaï’s beading has been in existence for hundreds of years. It is an expression of their cultural values and traditions and the necklaces are mostly worn during weddings, rituals and community events. This necklace comes from southern Kenya, where most Maasaï live in semi-nomadic tribes. It was framed by Michèle Bernard, a passionate craftswoman who has been building frames as decorative art and as a science of preservation in her Paris-based atelier for over 40 years. For this piece, she custom-made a black frame from wood with anti-glare and UV protective glass, and a matching black backdrop to ensure that the necklace’s vibrant colours and structurefully resonate.

Composition & Colour

Beaded Maasaï Necklace from Kenya – Different colours hold special meaning: Red signifies blood, bravery, and unity. White represents health, peace, and purity. Blue is the colour of the sky and represents energy, and green is the colour of grass, which signifies the land and production. Black represents the people and the struggle they must endure. Yellow symbolizes the sun, fertility, and growth, and orange represents warmth, generosity, and friendship.
Black wooden frame
Anti-glare, UV protective glass

Size

Frame: 38cm (width) x 42cm (height)

How it is made

An atelier next to the Paris Luxembourg garden

Michèle Bernard opened her atelier over 40 years ago, when the neighbourhood was still a hub for artists and craftsmen. At the time, her street was bustling with tailors, framing workshops, shoemakers, pattern makers, hairdressers as well as cafes. Today, things are quieter. Thankfully, the Luxembourg garden offers plenty of distraction and Madame Bernard regularly visits their museum for which she also makes the frames.
Choosing the materials

To bring out its vivid colours, Madame Bernard selects a black wooden frame and a rare, acid-free Italian paper as backdrop to frame the Maasaï necklace. The glass has anti-glare and UV protective properties, which not only allow reducing the reflection on the glass but also protects the necklace from being burnt by the sun and moonlight.
Maasaï beading

Beadwork is an important element in Maasaï culture. The necklaces are worn according to the age and social status of an individual. Those of a higher social status wear more colourful beads. Unmarried females wear large flat beaded discs around their neck when dancing as a sign of grace and flexibility. And a woman getting married wears a very elaborate and heavily beaded neckpiece on her wedding day, and once married, she wears a long necklace with blue beads.
Cutting the wood

As a first step to make the frame, Michèle Bernard cuts the wood at a 45-degree angle into the correct dimensions.
Building the Frame

To connect the four wooden parts, she first glues the edges together and then staples them from the inside. This step requires particular concentration so as to precisely join the edges neatly together.
Preparing the backdrop

Madame Bernard uses a shear from the 19th century to cut the Italian paper and carton that constitute the backdrop of the frame.
Fixing the necklace

The necklace is fixed to the backdrop with tiny invisible nails, which are carefully inserted at different places through the pearls and the leather lining of the Maasaï necklace before being flattened on the back of the carton.
Cutting the glass

Madame Bernard uses a Japanese glasscutter, which is one of the most accurate and precise ways to cut glass. It functions with petroleum and works even better than cutting with a diamond, which requires such a high degree of mastery that in most cases the result is not precise enough. She then thoroughly cleans the glass to ensure that no dust gets trapped inside the frame.
Assembling the elements

After the glass is attentively cleaned, it is placed inside the frame. Madame Bernard adds another thin piece of wood to create a larger space between the frame and the backdrop and to make sure that the necklace does not touch the glass.
Fixing the holder ring

To be able to hang this piece of art, Madame Bernard adds a ring on the back of the frame, which she places with care so that the frame hangs evenly on the wall.
Finishing the back of the frame

With a hammer and small nails, Madame Bernard fixes the carton in the frame and to create a clean finishing, adds Kraft paper on the back of the entire frame. Now the piece just needs to find its place in a home or office space.