The Beads
The Beads
It's not clear where Val Kilmer got this necklace. One story says it was given to him by a witch doctor in Africa. Another story says that his daughter made it for him. In some American Indian traditions, the white beads draw good spirits and the black ones repel bad spirits. (For a truly traditional Native American necklace you would use natural materials such as stone, clay, wood or bone.) You can make a necklace just like it (or have your daughter or son make it for you ;-)). Here are the necklace instructions:
I don't have exact amounts for anything, because I made the necklace and then went back and adjusted the length later.
You need:
- black pony beads, about 350
- white pony beads, about 350
- cord or string, about 8 feet (buy 3 yards)*
Materials will cost you 6-10 dollars.
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*I made my necklace with 2 mm black rattail cord (also called silk cord or satin cord), which is strong, has good thickness and flexibility, and looks good if you happen to glimpse it between the beads, but later on I saw a picture of Val that shows this necklace better, and for true authenticity you will want to use white string. ;-) Do NOT use leather cord -- it is too stiff.
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You can buy pony beads in almost any craft store, and rattail cord in some craft stores and most fabric stores. A lot of fabric stores have a big craft section and they would have pony beads, too. I suppose if you go to some high-class craft place they have pony beads of glass or wood. You don't want those. You want the plastic ones.
String the beads alternately, one black and one white, until you have a string about 8 feet long. To make it easier to string the beads, you can put tape around the end of the cord. Once you have the long string, it is time to "size" it. Put it around your neck and adjust the length so that if it is looped in a triple strand, and all three strands are hanging together, the strands fall just below a line drawn from armpit to armpit. This will make it the same length on you as Val's necklace is on him -- the triple strand falls just below his armpits, and the double strand nearly to his waist....
Thanks to Jackie Deuser for providing some information about the Native American meaning of the necklace.
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