Kasena Armband, Ghana

Granite does not give way. Ask anyone who has tried to grind a ring from a single piece of it.

The Kasena peoples of northern Ghana made this armband, its age indeterminate. Across the West African savanna, stone arm rings were worn as adornment and as marks of status, and the making took time and patience.

About four inches across, thick, and polished on the outside to a dark, greenish-black sheen. The inner edge stays rough and pitted, showing the speckled crystal of the stone. A few rust-colored patches warm the surface.

Some things are finished by patience alone.