Kasena Armband, Ghana

Granite is stubborn. To shape it, and to smooth it into a ring that sits on an upper arm, takes effort, and that is part of why such rings were meaningful.

This thick armband comes from the Kasena peoples of Ghana, and its age is indeterminate. Carved from granite, it is about three and a half inches across, a heavy, rounded ring of even thickness. The surface is very dark, close to black with brown undertones, worn smooth, with fine scratches and small irregularities that record long use.

Hold it. The weight tells you everything.