Lobi Bronze Bracelet Currency

Heavy open ring with ribbed top and flat, flared ends.

This bracelet currency is Lobi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. In parts of West Africa, metal rings and bracelets were used as a store of value and in payments such as bridewealth. Up close, a thick, C-shaped band with two raised ridges running around the outer face and fine hatching on the surface. The ends stop in blunt, flat-cut terminals with small notches. The finish is a dark, deep brown, rubbed smooth at the edges. It is 2.75 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 1 high.

Weighty, closed to the idea of a clasp, and proud of it.