Kasena Stone Armband, Ghana

Slate grey and dusty, with one tiny white fleck for sparkle.

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. Compact, rounded ring in soft charcoal with a matte, slightly chalky surface. The band is even and thick, the opening is a bit oval, and a small pale speck sits near the top. It is 0.5 inches deep and 4.25 in diameter.

Understated to the point of near invisibility, almost.