Penca de Balangandã

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A piece of charm jewelry, penca de balangandã, comprised of a metal main body, the nave, and nine charm pendants and typically worn around the waist with a strip of cloth or chain. The nave is a triangular shaped body divided into two parts horizontally and held together by a hinge and butterfly screw. The top part of the nave is symmetrical with an elaborate, decorative, botanical motif on the solid design with large empty spaces. A chain would have been weaved through these empty spaces or the upper most part. The topmost part is flanked by birds with closed wings. The lower part of the nave is semicircular and denticulated where the pendants are located. The face of the denticulated curve has a smooth texture.

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