Africa Adorned

The author has been fascinated by the dramatic style of the peoples in Africa she has encountered - "she saw jewellery of great beauty and exquisite craftsmanship. Worn by men and women with their bodies oiled, painted or scarified, their hair plaited, piled high or dyed with ochre, these ornaments are often of great value, cast in gold or silver, carved in ivory, inlaid with precious stones or coral. Where these materials are not available one finds objects crafted with equal care from gazelle horn, ostrich eggshell or antelope bone. Throughout the continent, adornment is a pleasure, even a preoccupation." - book jacket.