Detarium senegalense

A bronze hand, hung off a talisman combining a seed and brass encasement on a gold plated sterling silver chain with a magnetic accessible clasp.

The hand, cast in bronze, holds the five elements within its fingers: the thumb as fire and universal consciousness, the index finger as air and individual awareness, the middle finger as akasha - pure connection, the ring finger as earth, and the little finger as water. Bronze itself is one of the earliest metals worked into mirrors, revered for its ritual potency and unique beauty.

This talisman was picked up during a visit to a chimpanzee sanctuary in Sierra Leone, on a trip to see family. The round, glossy seed at its heart comes from Detarium senegalense, a large forest tree native to West Africa and known in English as the Tallow Tree or Dattock. Growing up to 40 metres tall, it is found across the region from Senegal to Sierra Leone, typically in gallery forests and along riverbanks. The tree produces a globular fruit with fibrous, sweet-sour pulp (similar in character to tamarind) encasing a single, perfectly smooth, seamless seed that dries to a rich warm brown. Across West Africa these seeds have long been valued beyond their botanical interest: the fruit is eaten fresh or made into juices and sherbets, while various parts of the tree are used in traditional medicine to treat conditions including dysentery and fever. The seeds themselves, hard and naturally polished-looking, are used in craft jewellery, where artisans combine them with brass metalwork to create pieces that are beautiful and deeply rooted in the natural and cultural landscape of Sierra Leone.

I love collecting peices from my travels and including them in Smith & Sun's collections, so good share these memories and peices. 

Full length: 30.5 cm

Chain length: 43.5 cm

Weight: 32.5 g