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Sterling Silver Cross Pendant from Ghana, 'Gye Nyame'

Product ID: U18695

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Sterling Silver Cross Pendant from Ghana, 'Gye Nyame'

Delivery Estimate

This item is available for pre-order and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Available in 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Details

The Ghanian symbol Gye Nyame, meaning "I fear none except God," is the centerpiece of this sleek cross pendant. By Joycelyn Sena Zigah from West Africa, this pendant is handcrafted of .925 sterling silver.

Made in Ghana

  • Sterling silver
  • High polish finish
  • Free Gift Wrap? Yes
  • Premium Gift Wrap? Yes
  • 7 grams
  • 0.26 oz
  • 6 cm L x 3.5 cm W
  • 2.4" L x 1.4" W
View in metric units View in US/English units

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Joycelyn Sena Zigah

Meet the Artist

Artfully crafted by Joycelyn Sena Zigah from West Africa.

 

Meet the Artist

Joycelyn Sena Zigah

Joycelyn Sena Zigah

"A challenge was working in a male-dominated industry. Coming from a very traditional setup, it was tough as a woman to be taken seriously in the trade by my colleagues, who are mostly men."

"I was born more than five decades ago in the town of Adidome in the Volta region, where my parents lived at that time.... In those days, the traditional African religion of worshiping at shrines was predominant. When my mother was due to give birth to me, my grandmother believed that the midwife in the town where she lived had some sort of bad energy that caused all the babies she delivered to die mysteriously soon after birth. With this belief in mind, she refused to let my mother deliver me there.

"So on the day of my birth, they had to travel miles to the hospital in the next town for me to be delivered. It was a very grueling experience for my mother and she has considered me special after that. My name, Sena — which my mother appropriately named me — means 'bringing heaven to earth' in the language of the Ewe people of Ghana.

"The Ewes live mostly in the Volta region of Ghana, east of the Volta River, and we are the second largest tribe of Ghana. I grew up in Hohoe but later left for Koforidua in Eastern Ghana for my secondary school education, and then attended the university in Kumasi.

"As an art student, I became interested in industrial arts — specifically, metal work. My mother traded in earrings, necklaces and beads so I naturally followed up. In 1986, I graduated with a bachelor's degree in art, with a major in metal design and fabrication.

"Immediately afterward, I worked as a jeweler's assistant for my National Service, a scheme designed for new graduates to serve their country for a period of at least one year. I did this for two years and was later employed permanently as a jeweler. Two years after that, I had the opportunity to further my studies at the School of Jewelry in Birmingham, UK. This was a great opportunity to learn more techniques and upgrade my knowledge in my chosen field.

"After successful completion, I returned to Ghana. I was eager to pass on the knowledge acquired and to help develop the jewelry arts. I chose a public institution where we took in most of the graduates from the metal arts department of the University of Science and Technology. This gave me the opportunity to impart this knowledge and put to use my skills in the industry. I rose to become the head of the jewelry workshop and worked with the company for a total of fifteen years.

"From there, I was ready to start my very own jewelry workshop. I initially began with a staff of two, which has gradually increased to five permanent staff members and five casual workers. I also take in many apprentices and interns from the university, whom I train during vacations.

"The initial challenge faced when I started on my own was pre-financing production of the precious metal designs I produce. Material costs were very unstable and any time you allocated a budget for production, the figures changed at the time of purchase. It was and still is challenging, but is manageable with help from family and friends.

"Another challenge was working in a male-dominated field. Coming from a very traditional setup, it was tough as a woman to be taken seriously in the trade by my colleagues, who are mostly men. I am one tough cookie so I don't get pushed over easily. I persevered and worked harder until I earned the respect due me.

"My aspiration for the future is to expand production to train more youth to equip them with skills for their future development, and also make more facilities available to students from the jewelry schools to undertake practical attachment training at my workshop.

"I am the mother of three girls and I have thirteen siblings located all over the country. My friends describe me as hardworking, disciplined and honest. I like to spend my leisure time reading and playing board games with my family. I am actively involved in activities at my local church and am part of the evangelism department, which does village outreach programs.

"I am grateful for this opportunity to sell internationally and I pray this draws me one step closer to fulfilling my aspirations. I also hope you will take pleasure in wearing my designs."

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Return instructions

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This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.

Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.

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WOMEN S M L XL XXL
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
BUST 35 - 36 37 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48
WAIST 27 - 28 29 - 30 31 - 33 34 - 36 38 - 40
HIPS 37 - 38 39 - 40 42 - 43 45 - 46 49 - 50
MEN S M L XL XXL
CHEST 36 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48 50 - 52
WAIST 30 - 32 32 - 34 35 - 37 38 - 41 43 - 45
NECK 14 - 14.5 15 - 15.5 16 - 16.5 17 - 17.5 18 - 18.5
SLEEVE 32.5 33.5 34.5 35.5 36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE

Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.

BUST / CHEST

Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.

WAIST

Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.

LOW WAIST

Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.

HIPS

Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.

NECK

Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.

SLEEVE

Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.

INSEAM

Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.

 

Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.

For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.

For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.

See buckle/tie belt size standards below.

WOMEN S M L XL  
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
inches 26 - 30 28 - 32 31 - 35 34 - 38 38 - 42
cm 76 - 86 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

MEN S M L XL XXL
inches 30 - 34 32 - 36 35 - 39 39 - 43 43 - 47
cm 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5 109 - 119

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

Sash tie length

Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.

Belt with buckle

Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.

Belt without buckle

Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.

Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!

DOWNLOAD

We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.

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UNICEF Market's artisan-direct prices are made possible through our partnership with NOVICA, a leading fair trade organization that works directly with artisans in remote regions around the world in many of the same communities where UNICEF has missions. NOVICA’s ten global Artisan Empowerment Hubs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America provide interest-free microcredit loans to artisans and help them bring their handmade creations directly to you.

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