A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.

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African bone bracelet / bangle with carved crocodile.
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Comments

  • I love this one with the crocodile. Do you know, that e.g. in Mali, the crocodile (there are not many left) is considered a holy animal?  Nice this one, perhaps the crocodile protects the bearer of the bracelet...!
  • Yes this one with the croc is also my favorite one.  I saw a tv program about people in Mali feeding crocs every day so they would not attack women and children who washed in the river...
  • @the bracelet design is very nice, and crocos in Africa usually are meant to protect. In a place in Southern Mali, not too far away where some of my in-laws live, is a small lake (pond) where a "holy" crocodile used to live. I always wanted to see it once, but we never made it there. I don't even know if it is still alive. But there must be others in rivers.
  • the grain clearly visible on this is the grain of ivory.

    the orange colour must have come from ochre or stain, maybe henna, perhaps from the skin of the wearer?

  • I do have a few ivory rings left and they show clearly the ivory grain but I find it hard to recognise in these bangles.

    Yes the colour probably is from henna or ochre.

  • i can see it on the crocodile one.

    however the other with the profiles is also made from a round slice of a single hollow piece of bony material, and apart from elephant tusks, what other animal has equally wide round bones?

    the work itself specially the crocodile is boldly done and very striking- i think it has a place in a historic collection even if you would not intentionally buy one now, being more aware.

    I used to know a carver who made inlaid wood beads and sometimes re-used old ivory from billiard balls, knife handles or piano keys.

     

    (The only other bangles i know that might appear similar are big orange 1930's moulded and carved "bakelite".)

  • Yes you are probably right, I can`t think of any other animal that has these round bones.......

    The carving is indeed very nice, I saw these bangles only one time before with another seller on Etsy.

    Thanks alot for your help!

  • I thnk your is Ivory - look at the cross hatching on the roundest part of the belly (top center).

     

    Tae a peek at the two images I just posted.

  • I thnk your's is Ivory - look at the cross hatching on the roundest part of the belly (top center).

     

    Tae a peek at the two images I just posted.

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