{"product_id":"antique-african-cast-currency-bracelet","title":"Antique African Cast Copper\/Bronze Currency Bracelet","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn excellent example of a very old cast copper\/bronze currency bracelet from Central Africa (also called a Janberry from sources I have met).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough this was considered currency there is a difference between currency and money.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExamples such as this one were used as a storage of wealth and when metal was needed for either large transactions or when tools, weapons or cooking utensils were needed these were smelted down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese currency brackets provided the materials to make the objects with and they were not used to go shopping at the market with.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/africa.si.edu\/exhibits\/site\/art\/spacer.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"5\" height=\"10\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/africa.si.edu\/exhibits\/site\/art\/spacer.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"10\" height=\"10\" align=\"top\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/africa.si.edu\/exhibits\/site\/metalL.htm\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/africa.si.edu\/exhibits\/site\/art\/objects\/thumbs\/metal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"200\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Metalworking has ancient beginnings in Africa. Archaeologists have dated slag from iron smelting furnaces to 300 B.C. Since copper smithing and casting is a simpler process than smelting iron, it is likely that works of copper predated even this early date.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eBracelets, anklets and collars that were cast or hammered from copper had little circulation and were never used in connection with routine transactions. Instead, they served as reservoirs of wealth in a form that was easy to store and transport. This storage function is best illustrated in the very heavy bracelets and anklets of the Congo River region. To create some of these bracelets, such as that of the Ekonda, the artists poured molten metal directly into a cast in the ground called a puddle mold. As the metal cooled, it was wrapped into a circular shape and often even fitted directly to the wearer's body”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eSource: Smithsonian National Museum of African Art \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eSize: 51\/2” l x 4” w x 41\/2” d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"EarthHeart\u0026Art","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46964490961183,"sku":"","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0721\/7810\/6655\/files\/69D90004-900F-496F-8794-7376B9B62607.jpg?v=1696711842","url":"https:\/\/earthheartandart.com\/products\/antique-african-cast-currency-bracelet","provider":"C.Brooks \u0026 Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}