It's not uncommon for the most powerful magicians to keep a jeweled snake as a familiar. It's a bit of a status symbol, admittedly--but alchemists are able to make use of the jewels, and certain magicians can keep spells within them. The result is a "living" familiar, something that moves and appears to have a bit of its own consciousness.

Of course, this is not a jeweled serpent but a jeweled dragon, of a different sort of connotation in magic... Whether the dragon created the alchemist or the alchemist created the dragon remains unclear. I suppose you can ask, if you'd really like to.

Technically the "necklace portion" is 18 inches in length, but the way she sits around the neck makes her appear quite a bit smaller. There's a very small hook and eye clasp for the chin and tail (see the fifth picture) which does take a little practice to master I must admit--but it holds well and is pretty much invisible. The wire of the tail and "fins" is soft enough to bend into whatever shape/angle you desire, but please be careful--wire will break if moved too much.

This girl is the result of many, many, MANY hours over two weeks and many more beads, every single bead woven in one at a time with care. Her eyes are Swarovski crystal, as well as her tail accents. There is weight to the necklace but it's not HEAVY, and actually rests quite comfortably around the neck. Various forms of expanding the length are possible, so shoot me a conversation if you're interested. Specific commissions and extra picture are always possible.