Contemporary African Art

African Jewelry

I found a really neat website that talks about different forms of African Art. The have information and pictures on paintings, Decor, tribal art, sculpture, and jewelry. I found the jewelry information to be the most interesting just because I make jewelry of my own. I learned a lot of things about the different forms of jewelry made! All the pictures are taken straight of the website also.
African Jewelry is used in many different ways. It is used to decorate the body, creates a storage of wealth, and also has a symbol of power and prestige reflecting status in society. It is used in religion, rituals and ceremonies Found objects are often included and can carry personal and symbolic meanings to the person wearing the jewelry. Jewelry is worn by men, women, and children. Many children are seen wearing jewelry at a very young age and as they get older their jewelry changes. Events like puberty, manhood, or marriage changes the jewelry people wear.

stone jewelry

shell beads

The oldest African Jewelry ever discovered was found in Blombos Cave on the southern tip of South Africa. The beads they found are estimate at being over 75,000 years old. Some other jewelry also dates back 45,000 years.


Historically, African jewelry is also used to trade, mainly in exchange for cloth and food, but also for slaves. The jewelry is created from organic materials like hide, porcupine quill, bone, animal teeth, animal hair, seeds, nuts, husks, sea and land shells, egg shell, wood, ivory, coral, and carved stone. Ostrich bone is one of the oldest forms of material used.
African jewelry has been used to adorn necks, ears, arms, legs, toes, hair, waists, and can be pierced, strapped and sewn on and sometimes left for long periods of time causing physical body damage and restricting movement.
Tribal African Jewelry is dependent upon what is available locally, what has been traded over the centuries and what the customs and traditions are in the different cultures.

Ghana King wearing gold jewelry

In Ghana, for instance, the coronation of kings and leaders is celebrated with a show of gold wealth that is astounding in glory. Gold bracelets, necklaces, and rings all have symbolic meaning attached to the styling and motifs used in the making.

Kenyan bride

Beaded African art has its own language and much can be derived about the history, culture, and status. In southern and eastern Africa, most people can wear beaded refinement, but in Yoruba culture, it is confined to rulers, and in the Cameroon, beads are an expression of privilege.

Mali Wedding beads

 Some African tribes are known for recycling things from nature and creating them into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Here is a picture of recycled plastic bracelets.