Kasena Stone Armband, Ghana

Dark plum-brown, with a ragged inner edge that looks freshly chewed.

This armband is Kasena, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. It is granite. A ring worn on the upper arm or wrist is one of the oldest forms of body ornament, found in many cultures and in many materials. Round ring with a smooth, deep brown outer face that lightens slightly at the top. The inner rim is jagged and bumpy, with a few whitish glints along the lower right. It is 0.5 inches deep and 4.25 in diameter.

Tidy outside, mischief on the inside.