fine ounce goldsmith collective

The great migration   by Maike Valcarcel

One of my rings is called “The great migration”.

Why? Here goes the story:

The little animal on the ring is an original gold weight from the Akan tribe of West Africa. These weights are made of copper, bronze or brass and not gold. They look like miniature models of everyday objects,animals, plants and people.

Used to weigh gold dust, which was currency until replaced by paper money and coins. So each weight has a known measurement and a man`s status increases significantly if he owned a complete set of weights. These gold weights can be as old as 600 years or as new as 50 years.

So this little gold weight, maybe a dog or an antelope, made its way from West Africa to South Africa, where I bought it from a street trader. What is it’s history? I can only try to imagine.

Now this little creature found its place on this ring. It is matched with a pebble from Cape Town and old rose cut diamonds which I took out of a ring that I inherited from my great grandmother. They sparkle like sunrays reflected by early morning dew on my favourite tree, the thorn tree.

Now, this might not be a ring you want to wear on a daily basis, do the dishes with or dig in the garden- rather see it as a piece of art.

 MAike Valcarcel