African Jewelry Designs

African Jewelry Designs

Ethnic Jewelry of Africa is distinct from jewelry of other parts of the world. This is because Africa has innumerable tribes and clans which in turn have their own distinct brand of jewelry. Thus the type of jewelry varies from people to people and region to region. In addition the type of jewelry worn by the tribes and nomads is governed by the hot climate.

Africa has three distinct regions that can be clearly demarcated. These are the Sahara region in the Northern part of Africa, Equatorial region which encompasses the central region and lastly the Savannah. Most of Africa is covered by these three regions.

The Dogon of Mali who reside high up in the Bandiagara Escarpment have jewelry that they believe is linked to the powers of myth and the occult. They usually get their Necklaces made of iron and copper alloy. The jewelry is simple and each piece is dedicated to real and mythical forefathers. For instance, the dugo necklace is made up of a series of rings and spirals, each representing an ancestor.

In the Equatorial rain forest, ivory is in abundance and thought to have magical powers and is considered sacred. In olden days only members of royalty were wore ivory. People of royalty in Benin also use intricately sculptured brass for their hip ornaments. These ornaments are made by 'bronze casting'. Many pieces of jewelry are made by this method. Women in Nigeria wear bracelets made by this method with a view to entice young men as they wiggle along in a sexy manner.

The Yoruba is another group who are residents of the rain forest. These tribes wear jewelry as a protection against evil spirits.

The Moors the most progressive of the African tribes have a wider horizon because of intermarriage with people from other regions. This is reflected in their jewelry design. Hence a larger variety of design in jewelry is available from this region. Jewelry is very important in the economy of the desert and is used for trade of salt from Arabia and Europe. Once every year Moorish nomads meet to allow their camels graze on the salt, which is needed for their diet, that surfaces to the top of the grass from the rains of August and September. While the camels graze, the people have a festival called Cure Salee and this is the time that jewelry is traded. The hair of beautiful girls is wrapped in brass as are their ankles. The anklets are called jabo and are worn to attract young men.

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Note: All the designs are copyrighted to their respective owners.