Welcome to the Forum.

I can't say I recognize this necklace. (I handled it, but that doesn't mean I know—for sure—what it is.) I agree with Stefany that some of the white beads look like dentalia shells. The style—it having rows of beads held together with spacing beads, reminds me more than anything else of certain ancient constructions, often composed of amber or jet (perhaps other materials too), that were generally thought to be "Keltic." That is, from pre-Roman British (and Western European) antiquity. Of course it is a style that persists to this day..., so who knows. I don't remember that the dark beads are jet, though some might be. As I recall, the material is more brown and feebly translucnet.

You might ask Jim what he remembers about it. Write to me and I'll give you his eddress.

Jamey