Kasena Armband, Ghana

Some jewelry is heavier than it looks. This is heavier than it should be.

The Kasena of Ghana wore stone rings like this on the upper arm, as marks of status and identity. Heavy stone rings are among the oldest forms of adornment in West Africa, and they took great patience to shape and polish. This one is ground from granite, of indeterminate age, a thick, even ring about four inches across.

The outer surface is smooth and has darkened to a rich brown. The inner edge stays rougher, showing the stone’s own texture. Two lighter patches across the band reveal the paler stone beneath.

Elemental. Set it down and it asks nothing.