PEGGY AMA FENING - PhD Thesis

237 Pages·2015·4.49 MB·English

by  Kwabena Abrefa Nketia

POST-INDEPENDENCE DEVELOPMENTAL
TRENDS OF THE GOLD JEWELLERY INDUSTRY IN GHANA: A CASE STUDY OF
ASANTES

BY

PEGGY AMA FENING (M.Phil. AFRICAN ART AND CULTURE)

A dissertation submitted to the Department of General Art Studies,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Partial Fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN AFRICAN ART AND CULTURE

Faculty of Art, College of Art and Built Environment

MAY, 2015

©2015, Department of General Art Studies
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this submission is my own work towards the PhD degree in African Art and
Culture and that, to the best of my knowledge, it contains no material previously published by
another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree of the
University, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.

Mrs Peggy Ama Fening (1863807) ………………….... …..………………..
(Student’s Name and ID No.) Signature Date

Dr Steve Kquofi ………………….... …..………………..
(Supervisor’s Name) Signature Date

Dr. Eric Appau Asante ………………….... …..………………..
(Supervisor’s Name) Signature Date

Dr. Steve Kquofi ………………….... …..………………..
(Head of Department’s Name) Signature Date

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ABSTRACT
This thesis studied the developmental trend of gold the jewellery industry in Ghana since
independence with particular reference to the Asantes. As at the year 2011 Ghana was rated the
world’s 9th largest producer of gold and the 2nd in Africa. However, its gold jewellery industry
accounts for very little percentage of the world production total. This discrepancy is an issue of
concern since currently Ghana derives the bulk of its revenue from gold. Value addition to the
nation’s gold jewellery industry will improve the nation’s fortunes significantly. The qualitative
method of research was employed to gather and synthesize the data. Results obtained indicated
that all the craftsmen involved in the jewellery industry were Ghanaians who were full time
practioners, with a sizeable number (28%) of them being females, majority of whom are
graduates from tertiary institutions. The issue of raw gold acquisition and absence of a refinery
were observed to be major problems facing the industry. It was also observed during the field
visit that much of the machinery being used by the craftsmen were outmoded. The use of the
adinkra symbols was found to be the most popular or new trend of all the designs being used by
the jewellers as the majority (75%) of the jeweller admitted using them. The apprenticeship
system of training continues to provide the skill in the industry. It was evident from the
interaction with traditional rulers that the socio-political and cultural roles of jewellery in Asante
still survive despite the influence of education, religion and globalization. The study concluded
that for Ghana to ensure a sustainable gold jewellery industry growth a concerted effort will be
required by all the stakeholders (including, government, non -governmental agencies, jewellery
industry and private sector players) to take full advantage of the country’s significant endowment
in gold and urgently take steps to revamp the industry.

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DEDICATION
I dedicate this thesis to my dear husband, Dr. J. O. Fening and children, Kwadwo Opoku Fening
and Kwadwo Nyantakyi Fening.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank the Almighty God for helping and sustaining me through this programme. Thanks to
personalities that assisted the researcher through interviews and questionnaire, such as the
Jewellers' Association in Kumasi, Traditional and family elders, Goldsmiths and jewellers in
Kumasi, Jewellery retailers and distributors in Asafo, Adum, Ashanti New Town and Central
Market.
As always, there are people without whose help this thesis could not have been written. In no
particular order but with equal gratitude for their knowledge, support and expertise, I wish to
sincerely thank the following: Dr. Eric Asante Appau, Dr Steve Kquofi and Mr. K. A.
Asomaning and all the staff of the Department of Industrial Art. A special thanks and gratitude
also go to Dr. Adu-Agyem the Head of Department, Department of General Art Studies for his
encouragement and recommendations.
I am also indebted to my taught course lecturers, Dr. Osei Agyeman and Dr. B. K. Dogbe for
reading through the initial write up. I also wish to render my sincere gratitude to all my students,
who in diverse ways supported the writing of this thesis, especially Mr. Peter Bamfo, Miss Lucy
Kwakye and Mr. Reagan Sarpong.
Special thanks are extended to all my course mates who pursued the same course with me, Dr.
Mrs Helena Asamoah-Hassan, Dr. (Mrs) Regina Oppong Kwakye and Rev. Dr. Kwame Ansong
for their contribution, support and encouragement towards the completion of this work. My
outmost gratitude to the workers of CSRI-SRI Mr. K. A. Nketia and Miss Regina Opoku for their
various help.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION........................................................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. iii
DEDICATION.............................................................................................................................. iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................ vi
LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... xiv
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... xv
LIST OF MAPS.......................................................................................................................... xvi
LIST OF PLATES .................................................................................................................... xvii
CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Overview .......................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Background to the Study ....................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................................... 6
1.4 Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 7
1.5 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 7
1.6 Importance of Study .............................................................................................................. 8
1.7 Delimitation ........................................................................................................................... 8
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1.8 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................... 9
1.9 Research Methodology ........................................................................................................ 11
1.9.1 Historical and Descriptive Methods ............................................................................. 11
1.10 Facilities Available for the Study ...................................................................................... 12
1.11 Organization of the Rest of the Text ................................................................................. 12
CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................................ 14
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ............................................................................... 14
2.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 14
2.2. Jewellery............................................................................................................................. 14
2.3. Early history of Jewellery .................................................................................................. 15
2.4. Forms and Function of Jewellery ....................................................................................... 16
2.4.1 Jewellery as a Form of Protection ................................................................................ 17
2.4.2 Jewellery as an Art for Body Adornment ..................................................................... 17
2.5. Jewellery Making Materials ............................................................................................... 20
2.5.1 Gold .............................................................................................................................. 20
2.5.2 Silver ............................................................................................................................. 21
2.5.3 Copper .......................................................................................................................... 22
2.5.4 Brass ............................................................................................................................. 23
2.5.5 Bronze ........................................................................................................................... 23
2.5.6 Diamonds ...................................................................................................................... 24
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2.5.7 Gemstones .................................................................................................................... 24
2.6 Costume Jewellery .............................................................................................................. 25
2.7 History of Gold Mining Industry in Ghana ......................................................................... 26
2.8 Socio-Cultural and Economic Importance of Jewellery ..................................................... 28
2.9. Myths, Legends and Beliefs associated with Gold and the Gold Jewellery Industry ........ 33
2.10 The Significance of Gold Jewellery in the Life of the Asante .......................................... 35
2.11 Gold Marketing in Ghana .................................................................................................. 39
2.12 The Jewellery Industry in a Global Context...................................................................... 39
2.12.1 Jewellery Retailing ..................................................................................................... 41
2.13 Growth of the Jewellery Industry in Ghana ...................................................................... 42
2.14 Socio-Cultural Relations in the Jewellery Industry........................................................... 43
2.15 Influence of Culture on Jewellery Design ......................................................................... 46
2.16 Effect of Trade Liberalization on the Jewellery Industry ................................................. 47
2.17 The Demand of Gold Jewellery ........................................................................................ 48
2.18 The Influence of Gold Price on Jewellery Production ...................................................... 50
2.19 Impact of Consumer tastes and sale of Gold Jewellery Products ..................................... 53
CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................... 56
METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 56
3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 56
3.2 Research Design .................................................................................................................. 56
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3.3 Library Research ................................................................................................................. 57
3.4 Population for the study ...................................................................................................... 58
3.4.1 Sampling technique ...................................................................................................... 59
3.5. Data Collection Instrument ................................................................................................ 62
3.5.1. Observation .................................................................................................................. 62
3.5.2. Interviews .................................................................................................................... 63
3.5.3. Questionnaire Design and Validation .......................................................................... 65
3.6. Types of Data ..................................................................................................................... 66
3.6.1 Primary data .................................................................................................................. 66
3.6.2. Secondary data ............................................................................................................. 67
3.7. Administering of Instruments............................................................................................. 67
3.8. Data Collection Procedure ................................................................................................. 67
3.9. Data Analysis Plan ............................................................................................................. 68
CHAPTER FOUR ....................................................................................................................... 69
THE HISTORY OF GOLD JEWELLERY INDUSTRY OF THE ASANTES .................... 69
4.1. Overview ............................................................................................................................ 69
4.2. History and Ethnography of Asante ................................................................................... 69
4.2.1. Origin of Asante .......................................................................................................... 70
4.2.2. Formation of Kingdoms............................................................................................... 71
4.2.3. The Golden Stool ......................................................................................................... 71
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4.2.4. Government of Asante ................................................................................................. 73
4.3. Materials for the gold Jewellery Industry .......................................................................... 75
4.4. The Traditional Gold Artist (goldsmith) ............................................................................ 76
4.5. The Traditional Goldsmith’s Workshop ............................................................................ 83
4.6. Trend of Tools and Equipment of the Gold Jewellery Industry. ........................................ 85
4.7. Quality of Gold................................................................................................................... 92
4.8. Traditional Gold Jewellery Production Techniques ........................................................... 93
4.8.1. The Lost-wax Method ................................................................................................. 94
4.8.2. Cuttle fish bone casting ............................................................................................... 97
4.8.3. The Lost-beetle Techniques ......................................................................................... 98
4.8.4. Hollow Casting ............................................................................................................ 99
4.8.5. Precision Casting ....................................................................................................... 100
4.8.6. Wire-working technique ............................................................................................ 102
4.8.7. Filigree technique ...................................................................................................... 103
4.8.8. Cold Gold working technique.................................................................................... 103
4.9 Gold Jewellery Decoration ................................................................................................ 104
4.10. Types of Gold Rings ...................................................................................................... 106
4.10.1. Wedding Rings ........................................................................................................ 106
4.10.2. Engagement Rings ................................................................................................... 107
4.10.3. Religious Rings........................................................................................................ 108
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