Beaded Artisan Necklace Featuring Okame Moh Mask Pendant Amethyst Onyx Sterling Netsuke

The focal point of this multi-strand beaded necklace is an Okame pendant, a traditional Japanese theatrical mask character. Also known as Otafuku, she is a well-known folk figure with distinct chubby cheeks, a cheerful smiling expression, a high forehead, and a small painted mouth. In Japanese culture, Okame is a powerful symbol of good fortune, happiness, robust health, and longevity. This 3 stranded necklace sports, amethyst, onyx, picture jasper and red dyed agate beads with a clasp signed 925. It is 18" long. The mask is 1.5". The red handwritten signature on the back of this carved piece consists of the Japanese kanji character 山 (Yama) followed by a stylized English letter M. Signature Breakdown • 山 (Yama): This is a very common Japanese kanji meaning "mountain." In the context of carvings and netsuke, it is frequently used as the first character of an art name or family name (such as Yamaji, Yamagawa, or Yamamoto). • M: The lower character is written as a western letter "M". This combination strongly suggests a modern or mid-to-late 20th-century artisan who marked their work with a hybrid East-West signature for international collectors. In my experience this is likely a carved bone netsuke. This image shows a vintage Japanese Okame "smiling maid" charm, often featured in Noh theater masks, meticulously crafted from materials like carved bone or porcelain.