Mahabalipuram Carved Stone Lizard Cord Necklace

There is something unhurried about a lizard carved in stone, as though it has always belonged exactly where it rests. This cord necklace centres on a hand-carved stone lizard pendant sourced from the workshops of Mahabalipuram, the coastal Tamil Nadu town whose stone-carving tradition stretches back to the Pallava dynasty. The artisans there work in a lineage shaped by centuries of temple sculpture, translating monumental craft into objects small enough to wear close to the skin. The lizard, a motif recurring across South Indian sacred architecture as a symbol of auspiciousness and regeneration, is rendered here with the quiet precision that defines Mahabalipuram's best work: surface texture suggesting scales, the form compact yet alive. Threaded on a simple cord, the pendant sits at the end of a thirty-inch length (approximately 76 cm), and the entire piece weighs just over four grams, keeping it genuinely light at the throat. Wear it against a hand-woven khadi kurta in undyed ivory for an afternoon of quiet errands or a visit to a gallery; it reads equally well over a fine cotton slub sari blouse, adding an unexpected sculptural note to a heritage weave without competing with it. The cord closes simply and sits at a fixed free-size length, making it easy to lift on and off. The stone itself requires no polishing and rewards nothing more demanding than an occasional wipe with a soft, dry cloth.

Details

• Material: Carved Stone from Mahabalipuram
• Dimensions: 30 inch Length
• Weight: 4.03 g
• SKU: LBJ98