Tuareg jewelry is mysterious, exquisite and intricately-designed. Each item is individually hand-crafted from old coins, smelted, molded and etched with Tuareg geometrical designs, using the traditional tools of the blacksmith. The creator’s name is engraved on the back of each item in Tamasheq. Silver is considered to be the “metal of the Prophets” and is also thought to have protective qualities. It is very important to own jewelry in Tuareg culture, for wealth, status and protection against desert spirits (or Djinns). The designs have been passed down generations and tell tales of Tuareg life, depicting regional identities, animals, turbans, mosque minarets and tales of travelling. Because each piece is handmade and individual, there may be minor differences from the photographs in detail work, shape or size.

The Dogon live along the 200-kilometre Bandiagara escarpement in central Mali. They are mainly animists, living a spiritual life in tune with the animals and the land, about which they retain much ancient and secret knowledge. Well-known for their ceremonial dances, sometimes on stilts and wearing the most fantastic of masks, they also produce bronze jewelry and carvings, textiles and of course masks, mostly carved in the form of animals. They have survived in their inhospitable region for centuries, fighting off invasions and any attempt to change their adherence to a traditional way of life.

The Wodaabe are a small section of the Fulani people. They are often referred to as Bororo. They are mainly herders and traders, preferring to live a nomadic existence in the bush rather than settle down to a sedentary life in towns and villages and are amongst the last true nomads of Africa. Famed for their exquisitely dyed and embroidered textiles, they are also well-known for their annual Gerewol ceremony, which takes place after the rainy season. Wodaabe will gather together from far and wide to celebrate the rains and also to hold their annual beauty competition. The men adorn themselves in their finest attire, paint their faces and perform dances, showing off their handsomeness to attract the women who judge the competition and choose their future partner. Beauty is most important to the Wodaabe, and if a man is not very handsome, his wife may take another lover in order to produce a beautiful child. They are mainly Islamic, observing the basic tenets of the religion.

The Peul people are also called Fulani and are the largest nomadic people of West Africa. They are primarily herders and traders, and are famed for their elaborate jewelry and textiles. The Peul/Fulani people consider beauty to be of great importance – one way they visually display this is with tattoos – often Peul/Fulani women tattoo around their mouths resulting in a blackish-blue colour surrounding the lips. The women also create elaborate hair-styles, weaving beads into their hair – well-known are their hair-styles crowned by large amber beads. Another fashion is to wear heavy twisted gold earrings (kwottone) – an indication of wealth and status. Their jewelry may have once been used as currency. They are famed for their hand-woven and embroidered blankets – used to keep warm during the cold desert nights. The Fulani are to be found mainly around Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea.