Dogon Loose Beads, Mali

Heap of small, finned metal pieces, tumbled together like a cat's toy box.

This set of loose Dogon beads in mixed alloy is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the early 20th century. Mixed alloy is a term for metal combinations whose exact makeup is not known, and in West Africa older beads were often cast from recycled brass, bronze and other metals. Pile of many small, tapering, pointed pieces with angular fin-like projections and hollow ends. Surfaces range from bright silver-grey to dark bronze, with patches of green corrosion and rubbed shine.

Each one tiny, and each one slightly different.