Ashanti Bronze Gold Weight

A square of bronze that once settled arguments over gold dust.

Ashanti metalworkers of Ghana, West Africa, cast this gold weight in bronze in the 19th century or earlier. Weights like this were commonly used with scales to measure gold dust, and many carry geometric or proverbial designs. Here, two spirals curl on a flat field, joined by a diagonal bar, inside a frame. A comb of short upright bars runs along the top and bottom edges. The surface is a cool gray-green with soft, worn edges.

About one and a half inches square. Small enough to pocket, and strangely hard to put down.