Konda Bakonga Bracelet Currency

A bracelet that was also money.

Heavy bracelets of copper and brass were worn as signs of wealth in Central Africa and could also be traded or exchanged as currency. This one, from the Bakongo of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was made of copper in the 19th century. Four inches across, it has a broad, open, C-shaped band with a raised central ridge and flanged edges. A fine crosshatched pattern runs along the border, and the opposite rim is crimped into a ripple. The ends are irregular and worn.

A warm brown surface, darker in places.

One curve, and plenty to say.