Kasena Stone Armband, Ghana

Crusty, russet and speckled, with a burnished sheen on the inner slope.

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 ring with a rough, mottled surface in tan and dark brown. The inner wall has a smoother, shinier band, while the outer face looks pitted and flaky in places. It is 0.5 inches deep and 4.25 in diameter.

Rugged outside, polished where it counts.