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Chunky Silver Ring, with an Ndoro, Ancient African Symbol, of Wealth and Status
Chunky Silver Ring, with an Ndoro, Ancient African Symbol, of Wealth and Status
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$112.00 USD
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$112.00 USD
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The inspiration behind the design of this ring comes from the Ndoro, an ancient Zimbabwe artifact. We have used a stylized version of the Ndoro for our ring. Each indentation, is painstakingly done by hand. The Ndoro used to be “the” Zimbabwe status symbol!
The Ndoro’s were worn by the people of the Kingdom Of Great Zimbabwe on the chest and forehead. The number of Ndoro’s your wife wore, indicated your status and wealth in society.
The story of the Ndoro begins way back during the height of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe (near modern day Masvingo). Sometime between the 14th and 17th Century (the Middle Ages to put it into some historic context) the Ndoro was used for trade between them and the Portuguese traders that traded along the East Coast of Africa.
The originally Ndoro was actually a seashell but when the Portuguese traders in the 16th century realized its value they started to make them from porcelain and ceramic and used them to trade in our area. So most Ndoros that you will find from that time in Zimbabwe are in fact man-made.
This ring is handmade in Sterling Silver in our workshop in Bulawayo. This chunky ring is approximately 15 mm in diameter.
It’s funny how moving away from your own country makes you miss home and in fact learn more about your own country once you have left. It took me moving to the States and missing home to learn more about Zimbabwe. Now that I am back home in Zimbabwe I revel in the fact that there is so much inspiration to draw on here in Africa for my designs. Great Zimbabwe and it’s artifacts are a great inspiration for our work.
We lovingly wrap each ring in hessian and package it in our round sisal baskets. Due to the handmade nature of the baskets and the organic material used - colour and pattern may vary. Our baskets are made by woman from Lupane and Matopas who belong to groups that promote fair trade and self-sufficiency.
The Ndoro’s were worn by the people of the Kingdom Of Great Zimbabwe on the chest and forehead. The number of Ndoro’s your wife wore, indicated your status and wealth in society.
The story of the Ndoro begins way back during the height of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe (near modern day Masvingo). Sometime between the 14th and 17th Century (the Middle Ages to put it into some historic context) the Ndoro was used for trade between them and the Portuguese traders that traded along the East Coast of Africa.
The originally Ndoro was actually a seashell but when the Portuguese traders in the 16th century realized its value they started to make them from porcelain and ceramic and used them to trade in our area. So most Ndoros that you will find from that time in Zimbabwe are in fact man-made.
This ring is handmade in Sterling Silver in our workshop in Bulawayo. This chunky ring is approximately 15 mm in diameter.
It’s funny how moving away from your own country makes you miss home and in fact learn more about your own country once you have left. It took me moving to the States and missing home to learn more about Zimbabwe. Now that I am back home in Zimbabwe I revel in the fact that there is so much inspiration to draw on here in Africa for my designs. Great Zimbabwe and it’s artifacts are a great inspiration for our work.
We lovingly wrap each ring in hessian and package it in our round sisal baskets. Due to the handmade nature of the baskets and the organic material used - colour and pattern may vary. Our baskets are made by woman from Lupane and Matopas who belong to groups that promote fair trade and self-sufficiency.
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