The famous Cartier snake necklace designed for the Mexican actress Maria Felix in 1968 was the inspiration for this unique necklace.

Click here to see a picture of the original piece.

I drooled over Cartier’s necklace for a long time until finally; during my casting class I had the opportunity to make my version of it. This necklace is a great 25th anniversary gift. I used the Lost-Wax method. I carved the snake head, small part of the body and tail from wax. The pieces were casted in solid sterling silver. I then cleaned, polished and constructed the rest of the necklace. Two 4mm ‘new blue’ grade AAA topaz semi precious gems make up the snake’s eyes. I looked for a long time for the right combination of beads to make up the body and create the feel of the 2,473 diamonds used in Cartier’s version. I achieved my goal using Bali Silver tube beads and Swarvoski Crystal silver-plated rondelles. Figuring out the mechanics of the necklace was no small task either. The necklace is strung on 16 gauge sterling silver wire that resembles the snake’s tongue and serves as the clasp in the front. The necklace is 18 inches (45.7 cm) long and the tail hangs approximately 2 3/4 inches (7 cm) long from the last rondelle.