The Spirit's Vow Ring

Description

Two hands connect, entwined in leaves and branches, with the Nsibidi symbols meaning ‘love with affection’ and ‘love and unity’ inscribed on the hands.

The design of this ring was inspired by one of the legends of the origins of Nsibidi. The tale centres on Ebongo, a girl from Calabar (Nigeria) who went down to the River Ndian to collect water one morning and stumbled across a fish in a calabash bowl, and this fish turned out to be the spirit of a former king. The king shared his lost wealth with her, including the Nsibidi language, and eventually she became his spirit bride.

Available in 14 karat solid gold (yellow gold or rose gold), and silver. 18 karat gold by request. All metals used are recycled.

About the Nsibidi Collection

Nsibidi is a written language originating in West Africa as early as the 5th century, where it was used to communicate across language and culture boundaries in a variety of civilisations in (present-day) Nigeria and Cameroon.

Prior to imperialism, Nsibidi was used for recording court judgments, writing stories and sending messages. Young women would even have their life stories written in intricate hairstyles using the symbols. It was largely written on organic materials such as land, plants, cloth, and on the body, therefore few records of it remain today.

This ring is part of the ‘Nsibidi Collection’ by artist, writer, and researcher Zita Abila, a handmade set of jewellery and sculptures featuring the ancient Nsibidi writing.

Ring sizing

The ring is available in standard sizes XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL.

These correspond to the (US) ring sizes 4-10.

For more information on sizing, get in touch at info[at]mordistudio.com.

Production

All Mordi Studio pieces are handmade by Zita in her studio. Please allow 2-3 weeks for production.