decorative necklace

A decorative green bead contrasts beautifully with the wooden beads on Eliasu Adams's stylish necklace. The Ghanaian artisan centers the necklace with a recycled glass bead, hand crafting a contrasting pattern from sese wood beads and finishing his creation with a brass hook clasp.

Robert Aidoo-Taylor designs a collection of necklaces for men inspired by the masks worn by the people of New Guinea, specifically around the Sepik River. The ancestral masks denote social and spiritual significance. Aidoo-Taylor carves the ofram wood mask pendant by hand and decorates it with painted details. The pendant is worn on an adjustable black cord.

Robert Aidoo-Taylor designs a collection of necklaces for men inspired by the masks worn by the people of New Guinea, specifically around the Sepik River. The masks denote social and spiritual significance, so Aidoo-Taylor dedicates this design to Adam, the first man according to the Bible. The Ghanaian artisan carves the ofram wood pendant by hand and decorates it with painted details in green, brown and black. The pendant is worn on an adjustable black cord.

Robert Aidoo-Taylor designs a collection of necklaces for men inspired by the masks worn by the people of New Guinea, specifically around the Sepik River. The masks denote social and spiritual significance, so Aidoo-Taylor dedicates this design to the men who were born on a Friday, who are usually named Danjuma. The Ghanaian artisan carves the ofram wood pendant by hand and decorates it with painted details. The pendant is worn on an adjustable black cord.

Against a body of solid saffron, an elegant and traditional African print decorates this cotton shirtwaist dress from Ghana. Elizabeth Kumi creates this fun and flirty dress, which features long sleeves, a collared neckline, and a button-up front. A belt secures this dress around the waistline.

West African artisan Winfred Korley hand crafts this decorative doll from dark sese wood, recycled glass beads, and local clay. Korley first carves the doll from one piece of wood, then allows it to dry for two weeks, before adding final embellishments with clay and beads. The doll has two tribal marks on its cheeks, and it wears earrings of red beads, and necklaces of blue, green, and yellow beads. The doll stands upright with arms outstretched, and has protruding breasts and navel. Korley names his original work a yaa doll, after the Akan name for a female born on a Thursday.