The Niger Bend | A Selection of Our Best Items |
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$3950.00 3 bird ring
item #681Ivory Coast - Baule Please click on the photo for 2 more views of this fine old Baule royal ring. | $3500.00 Abotire crown of gold leaf pieces
item #430Ghana - Ashanti This style of Ashanti crown is flexible, like a hat, but is covered with gold leaf-covered wooden elements. Its name in the Akan language is abotire. This is the oldest, most traditional of crown styles, worn by all levels of Ashanti royalty. |
$3500.00 Abotire crown of gold leaf pieces
item #950Ivory Coast - Ashanti This style of Ashanti crown is flexible, like a hat, but is covered with gold leaf-covered wooden elements. Its name in the Akan language is abotire. This is the oldest, most traditional of crown styles, worn by all levels of Ashanti royalty. The pendant is gold leaf-covered wood, $975, available elsewhere on this page. | $5000.00 Baule gold bead mask
item #70Ivory Coast - Baule 3 x 2 3/8" (7.6 x 6 cm) - sold without beads |
$9000.00 Baule gold bead necklace
item #69Ivory Coast - Baule 23" strand (58.4 cm) 200 g This is the original BLING, the bling of the coolest, most influential, most prestigious people in Africa. | $285.00 Biconal bead
item #936Ivory Coast - Baule 3 grams @ $95/g |
$285.00 Biconal bead
item #937Ivory Coast - Baule 3 grams @ $95/g | $475.00 Biconal bead
item #938Ivory Coast - Baule 5 grams @ $95/g |
$475.00 Biconal bead
item #939Ivory Coast - Baule 5 grams @ $95/g | $570.00 Biconal bead
item #940Ivory Coast - Baule 6 grams @ $95/g |
$570.00 Biconal bead
item #941Ivory Coast - Baule 6 grams @$95/g | $475.00 Biconal bead
item #942Ivory Coast - Baule 5 grams @ $95/g |
$855.00 Biconal bead
item #943Ivory Coast - Baule 8 grams @ $95/g | $3950.00 Cocoon top crown ring
item #680Ivory Coast - Baule This royal Baule ring bears a representation of a crown, topped by what appears to be a tiny bundle of sticks. That "bundle of sticks" represents, in fact, a cocoon of a type found commonly in Africa (though I do not know its species). The ring is a reference to a proverb which, loosely translated, says that it is a mystery whether a caterpillar builds its cocoon around itself or if it builds the cocoon and then gets in it. The significance is that there is a certain amount of mystery necessary to being a king, or a ruler of any kind. It is not necessary for everyone to understand all that a king understands. From another point of view, this serves also as a justification for his rule: if the king indeed has the knowledge which is a mystery to the public then it is his duty and right to be the king. The fact that the cocoon is on top of a crown reinforces the power of this symbolism. |
$7000.00 Crescent shape mask pendant
item #686Ivory Coast - Baule 2 1/2" wide x 2 1/8" tall (6 x 5 cm) | $95.00 Crocodile and lizard motif disk beads
item #148Ivory Coast - Baule The price is per gram. This is the price for all of our gold beads, whatever their size. The figurative pieces are not priced by weight, rather by their design, quality of execution, etc. Please contact us for specific bead weights and prices. |
$7500.00 Eagle top power symbol
item #435Ghana - Ashanti The name in the Akan language for these swords is "afenatena" which literally means "long sword". They do not function as swords. In fact even functional swords went out of use 300 years ago with the advent of guns. The focus of attention of these iron highly decorated swords are the gold leaf-covered wood tops, representing, in general terms, Ashanti proverbs pertaining to the power and role of the king in Ashanti society. These ceremonial swords were actually carried in ceremonial processions and are recognized as substitutes for the actual swords of state which are kept in the royal palace. The swords of state are second only to the royal stools in significance as symbols of the source of the power the Ashanti king inherits. The actual significance of each sword depends on the way it is used in specific ceremonies, including harvest, installation of a king, purification of the sould of the king, etc. These same swords are also carried by representatives of the king as symbols of his authority when they have been sent to carry out the business of the king. Please click on the photo to see the full piece. | $7500.00 Fine detail mask pendant
item #684Ivory Coast - Baule 2 1/2" tall (6 cm) |
$975.00 Gold & Islamic glass bead necklace
item #1736Ivory Coast - Baule 25" (63.5 cm) | $975.00 Gold & Islamic glass bead necklace
item #1737Ivory Coast - Baule 25 7/8" (65.7 cm) |
$1950.00 gold beads
item #434Ghana - Ashanti Each of these solid gold beads is the same price. The bead on the left is SOLD. | $925.00 Gold leaf covered armband
item #952Ivory Coast - Ashanti 4 3/8" long |
$925.00 Gold leaf covered armband
item #953Ivory Coast - Ashanti 5 3/16 x 4" | $925.00 Gold leaf covered armband
item #954Ivory Coast - Ashanti Each round piece measures 2 5/8 x 2 3/8" |
$925.00 Gold leaf covered armband
item #955Ivory Coast - Ashanti 4 9/16 x 3 3/4" pendant | $925.00 Gold leaf covered armband
item #956Ivory Coast - Ashanti Each pendant is 4 7/8" long |
$975.00 Gold leaf covered necklace
item #433Ghana - Ashanti The pendant is 4 13/16 x 5". The necklace is 14 3/8". | $975.00 Gold necklace
item #456Ghana - Ashanti This is a less voluminous and lighter gold necklace, possibly worn by younger girls. |
$3750.00 Gold necklace
item #1714Ghana - Ashanti | $5600.00 Gold necklace
item #1715Ghana - Ashanti |
$7500.00 Gold necklace with pendant
item #453Ghana - Ashanti This is an exceptionally beautiful gold chain with an extraordinarily fine heart shape pendant. The shape of this pendant, though well known in the West as a symbol of love, is actually not considered to be a heart at all in Ashanti tradition. Indeed the real human heart is not shaped like this at all. The Ashanti devised this shape as a reference to the san ko fa bird whose head is turned 180 degrees around to look behind it. That bird is the symbol of a proverb which signifies, loosely interpreted, that we must learn by looking to our past. | $5600.00 Gold necklace with pendant
item #1716Ghana - Ashanti |
$5600.00 Gold necklace with pendant
item #1717Ghana - Ashanti | $3000.00 Gold pendant
item #438Ghana - Ashanti |
$5600.00 Gold royal chain necklace
item #427Ghana - Ashanti The name in the Akan language for these necklaces is "suman" which literally means "charm". The pendants worn on these chains have specific protective powers depending on the design of those pendants. When Ashanti royalty appear in public on ceremonial occasions they always wear quantities of gold jewelry, including handmade chains of many designs. | $5600.00 Gold royal necklace
item #428Ghana - Ashanti |
$5600.00 Gold royal necklace
item #1718Ghana - Ashanti | $2625.00 Gold royal rings
item #426Ghana - Ashanti All the rings in this photo are the same price except the one on the far right which is $925. Please click on the photo to see 2 more sets of rings. All are the same price in the second and third photos. Please note that the top ring in each of those two photos have been sold. Ashanti gold is generally low carat (below 14 carats) but are authentic, having been made for and worn by members of the Ashanti royal family and entourage. Most date to 1950 to 1960. |
$3750.00 Gold watch bracelet
item #431Ghana - Ashanti This bracelet looks like a watch but only tells the time twice a day. There is no movement in it. In fact, the Ashanti, like many Africans, value watches more as jewelry than as timepieces. This one is pure jewelry, conforming to the Ashanti love of gold and deference to modern society at the same time. | $50.00 Goldweights - third set of photos
item #507Ghana - Ashanti Please click on the image to view two more photos. The second photo is another view of these same weights, showing their sizes. The third is a different set of weights. |
$3750.00 Heavy silver bracelet
item #432Ghana - Ashanti Although not gold, this bracelet is made in the style of the gold bracelets the Ashanti prefer. This bracelet, in solid metal, would be astronomical in price in solid gold. In the same way that the Ashanti use gold leaf-covered wood to replace solid gold, they may also make items in silver to represent an item traditionally made in gold. | $1425.00 Large biconal bead
item #944Ivory Coast - Baule 15 grams @ $95/g |
$1045.00 Large biconal bead
item #945Ivory Coast - Baule 11 grams @ $95/g | $1425.00 Large biconal bead
item #946Ivory Coast - Baule 15 grams @ $95/g |
$1615.00 Large biconal bead
item #947Ivory Coast - Baule 17 grams @$95/g | $7000.00 Long-haired Baule mask pendant
item #683Ivory Coast - Baule 2 1/2" tall (6 cm) |
$6000.00 Set of 3 ceremonial iron swords
item #452Ghana - Ashanti This is a beautiful matched set of 3 ceremonial iron sword power symbols, each topped with a wooden handle covered with gold leaf. These symbols always accompany the Asantehene, the king of the Ashanti, when he appears ceremonially in public. Please see the eagle power symbol above for a more complete explanation. Please click on the image to view the other 2 power symbols. | $1750.00 Silver necklace
item #454Ghana - Ashanti Of course, this is not gold but it is Ashanti. Silver necklaces are commonly worn by the queen mother. I regret I could not enlist her to pose for these photos. |
$1750.00 Silver necklace
item #1719Ghana - Ashanti Of course, this is not gold but it is Ashanti. Silver necklaces are commonly worn by the queen mother. I regret I could not enlist her to pose for these photos. | $1750.00 Silver necklace
item #1720Ghana - Ashanti Of course, this is not gold but it is Ashanti. Silver necklaces are commonly worn by the queen mother. I regret I could not enlist her to pose for these photos. |
$3000.00 Small Baule mask pendant
item #687Ivory Coast - Baule 1 1/8" tall (2.7 cm) | $5000.00 Small crocodile pendant
item #152Ivory Coast - Baule |
$2950.00 small ram figure
item #688Ivory Coast - Baule 1 1/2" long x 1 3/16" tall (3.6 x 2.9 cm) Please click on the image for 2 more views of this fine little figure. | $7000.00 Smooth mask pendant
item #689Ivory Coast - Baule 2 1/2" tall x 1 3/4" wide (6.3 x 4.4 cm) Please click on the image for 2 more views of this fine old pendant. |
$12000.00 Soul priest pectoral disc
item #455Ghana - Ashanti The name in the Akan language for this piece is "akrafokonmu" where "akra" means "soul", "fo" means "people" and "konmu" means, loosely, "around the neck". It is worn on the chest like a pendant and is the badge of identity of a soul priest. One of his primary roles is to preside over the ceremony in which the soul of the king is purified. The shape is called "nyame" which means both "sun" and "God". It measures 4 1/2" in diameter. | $5000.00 Soul Priest Pectoral Disk
item #247Mali - Ashanti 5 1/2" (14 cm) wide at "tube" through which this is strung, 4 7/8" (12.4) diameter otherwise |
$975.00 Triangle pendant necklace
item #951Ivory Coast - Ashanti |
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