Koma Stone Armband, Ghana

Deep chocolate and nearly circular, with a lightly ragged inner rim.

This granite armband is Koma, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. Armbands and bracelets have been worn in many parts of West Africa as markers of status, age or belonging, and they are made from ivory, metal and stone. A thick round band with a smooth, dark, slightly glossy face. The inner edge is uneven and sandy-looking, and the outer curve has a faint sheen where it has been handled. It is 4 inches wide, 4 deep and 0.75 high.

Quiet brown mass with an honest, uneven inside.