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Earrings with twisted mesh design
Unidentified artist, Dakar, Senegal
Earrings with twisted mesh design
1950s–1970s
Gold-plated copper alloy
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson, 2012-18-111
Earrings with twisted mesh design
Filigree bracelet
Unidentified artist, Dakar, Senegal
Filigree bracelet
Late 20th century
Silver alloy
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson, 2012-18-192
Filigree bracelet
Sterling
Silver jewelry has recently become more popular in Senegal’s cities. Constructed using the same techniques as gold, silver jewelry is more affordable and can be purchased and covered in a thin layer of gold for advanced affordability, or brought back later for coating.
Rings
Wolof or Tukulor artist, Dakar, Senegal
Rings
1930’s-1940’s, 1960s–1970s
Gold-plated silver alloy
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson, 2012-18-125, 2012-18-126
Rings
Mining Gold’s Present
Over the past two decades, a dramatic increase in gold’s value from $316.60 per ounce in 2000 to $1,896.50 per ounce in 2011 has sparked a gold mining boom in Africa, with several new mining and exploration companies in Senegal as well as many other West African nations. Gold deposits in Kédougou, a region bordering Mali and Guinea, have attracted national and international interest, as well as a number of migrant small-scale, or “artisanal,” miners. But gold mining is not without its problems. Gold has been mined artisanally in Senegal for thousands of years as a supplement to agricultural livelihood during the dry season. It is these local miners and their discoveries that fall prey to large-scale gold companies and accompanying laws barring such livelihoods—activities that drew the attention of these companies in the first place.
Bracelet with twisted overlay (torsade)
Wolof artist, Dakar, Senegal
Bracelet with twisted overlay (torsade)
Mid- to late 20th century
Gold-plated copper alloy
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Dr. Marian Ashby Johnson, 2012-18-147
Bracelet with twisted overlay (torsade)
Doing the twist
Bracelets and earrings of twisted gold are the most simple and plentiful forms of jewelry found in Senegal. And yet, there is a tremendous variety born of simplicity. Many Senegalese jewelers require their female clients’ presence while twisting and finishing a bracelet because a woman’s individual preference determines when the jeweler has twisted enough—thus, making the twist a matter of taste and dual creation. The gold content also has a bearing on the twist; the tighter the twists, the heavier and thicker the bracelet. Heavier bracelets are reserved for special occasions because they demand more of a jeweler’s time and indicate a high level of leisure and opulence. This bracelet is extremely heavy, with a solid core construction.
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By the North Carolina Museum of Art