Kasena Stone Armband, Ghana

Glossy brown outside, wildly crumpled inside, a bit like a good pastry.

This armband is Kasena, from Northern Ghana, West Africa. It is granite. Armbands and bracelets of stone, metal and ivory have been worn across West Africa, where they may signal age, status or belonging to a group. Thick ring with a smooth, dark brown outer surface that fades to a lighter tone near the top. The inner rim is pocked and bumpy, with a thin bright edge along the lower opening. It is 0.5 inches deep.

Two textures, one ring, no apologies.