The Accra Disc
$110
Large circular disc earrings of recycled brass with hand-stamped geometric patterns and slightly oxidized finish.
Materials
Recycled brass (melted from old coins and hardware), hand-stamped circular discs
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Why Liz Chose It
“Akosua makes gold out of what the world threw away. Wearing her discs feels like carrying a small act of redemption on each ear.”
— Elizabeth Groch, Founder
The Story of This Piece
The Accra Disc earrings embody the West African tradition of transforming the discarded into the extraordinary. The brass used in these earrings was once something else entirely — old coins, broken door handles, worn-out hardware — melted down and reborn as wearable art.
The geometric patterns stamped into each disc are inspired by Adinkra symbols — the visual language of the Akan people that has been used for centuries to communicate complex philosophical concepts through simple graphic forms. Each earring bears patterns associated with wisdom, resilience, and creativity.
The slightly oxidized finish gives the earrings a warm, antique quality that deepens over time. No two pairs are exactly alike — the handstamping process ensures that each set carries the subtle variations that distinguish handcraft from mass production.
The Artisan
Akosua Mensah
Age 35 · Accra, Ghana
Akosua Mensah grew up in Accra's Agbogbloshie neighborhood — once one of the world's largest e-waste dumping grounds, where discarded electronics from Europe and America were sent for informal recycling. As a child, Akosua watched men and boys burn circuit boards to extract copper and brass, breathing toxic fumes in the process.
Determined to find a better way, Akosua began experimenting with melting brass scraps using safer methods she learned from a retired industrial metalworker. She developed a process for creating clean, beautiful brass sheets from recycled material, and she began stamping them with traditional Adinkra patterns she had studied in library books.
At 35, Akosua runs a workshop that employs eight women from the Agbogbloshie community. Her work has been featured in several international publications, and she has become an advocate for sustainable recycling practices in Ghana. She sees each pair of earrings as a small act of redemption — transforming waste into beauty, pollution into possibility.