Lobi Bronze Bracelet Currency

Woven-looking crosshatch covers a dark open ring with tiny studs at each end.

This bracelet currency is Lobi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is bronze. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, and metal objects of this kind were usually cast, then finished by hammering or filing. Plainly, a rounded, open band with dense diagonal engraving across the outer surface. The flat terminals each carry a small knob. The surface is deep brown, nearly black in the hollows, with a gentle, worn gloss. It is 2.25 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 5 high.

Patterned from end to end with relentless patience.