Cryptic apotropaic rings are also found in East Africa.
A distinct set of rings also carry Tifinagh-based magic squares recently-made items of this type may be “Tifinagh alphabet” souvenirs made for tourists. Tuareg gri gri plaques also carry magic square designs, but seem to contain mainly Tifinagh letters. With numerical considerations seemingly secondary to aesthetics, none of the magic squares were mathematically competent. No two designs were identical, but it was possible to define sub-groups based on style and content. The magic squares sometimes display complete or partial symmetry, with diagonals containing repeats of a single symbol. Most items combine symbols of different types, and reflections and rotations of stock symbols are common. A survey of 132 Tuareg/Berber items revealed that the symbol repertoire appears to be drawn from overlapping categories that include Eastern Arabic and Perso-Arabic numerals, and possibly Western digits and Indian Devanagari numbers as well Arabic letters Tifinagh and Libyco-Berber characters and the Islamic Seven Seals (the ism al-aʿzam or Greatest Name). A ring with a curved or flat frontal area may be inscribed with a linear cipher or, if large, carry a “magic square” design. In West Africa, Berber groups such as the Tuareg of Mali and Niger use inscribed silver jewelry – rings, pendants and plaques – as talismans.
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