We very often find the same symbols in my jewelry. I love them for many reasons: they remind me of my travels or my childhood, they open up my imagination, they recall ancestral traditions that I like to bring back to the fore.
I tell you what they represent and why they mean so much to me.
MATIASMA in Greek or NAZAR BONCUK in Turkish: this Talisman is used to protect from the Evil Eye.
Created in Turkey, it was in Athens, at the fall of the Ottoman Empire, around 1832, that the exiled glass artisans transmitted the creation of the Amulet to the Athenians. The talisman has since remained a very popular symbol of protection.
CLOVER. the four leaves represent Faith, Hope, Luck and Love. Anyone who finds such a lucky charm would see these four facets of their life improve that day.
The origin of the use of the Shamrock as an Irish national symbol dates back to the Middle Ages.
Legend has it that Saint Patrick used a shamrock to make the Irish people understand the concept of the Holy Trinity and thus convert them.
KHAMSA . or Hand of Fatma is an amulet, in the shape of an open hand, protecting against the evil eye, that of the look of the envious, of the thoughts of the jealous which must be countered with the help of a talisman. Since the Carthaginians, it has been found in Islamic, Jewish and Berber civilizations. Its use has spread throughout North Africa and as far as India.
FIGA . “The occhju” or evil eye is an ancient belief very widespread in the Mediterranean. An evil and jealous person casts a spell that brings misfortune or illness to the recipient. On the shores of the Mediterranean and particularly in Corsica, men made the “fig” sign – closed fist and thumb between the index and middle fingers – to protect themselves. One day, this sign was carved from coral, a protective material. It became a lucky coral pendant. It is difficult to know when this tradition dates back.
It is found in South America and particularly in Brazil. The slaves, upon regaining their freedom, received it as a symbol of rebirth. It is also, in all possible materials (wood, stone, metal, etc.) on the Portuguese shores, in different ports. Probably where the ships that transported slaves from Africa to the Americas left!
BEETLE. Carrying a scarab as a good luck charm is a tradition that dates back to 2345 BC. BC in Ancient Egypt.
We could also find allusions to the Egyptian God of the rising sun, Khepri. It was concluded that, for the Egyptians, this animal represented perpetual creation and eternal life.
HORSESHOE. The superstition and “magical” aspect of the horseshoe comes partly from the Greeks and also from Christianity. They believed that the horseshoe had a repulsive power over evil. Additionally, it had a crescent shape. At the time, the crescent was synonymous with fertility and luck.
In Irish history, the legend of Saint Dunstan: Dunstan was a simple man, a blacksmith, in 10th century Britain. One night the devil visited him and asked him to put a horseshoe on his horse. Instead of putting the shoe on the horse, Dunstan nailed the horseshoe to the devil. In pain, the devil begged Dunstan to remove the horseshoe; Dunstan agreed, but on one condition. The devil had to promise to stay away from any house with a horseshoe at the entrance. Thus, Dunstan became the Archbishop of Canterbury and was elevated to sainthood.
13. There are as many people who think that the number 13 is lucky as there are people who think the opposite. However, if we refer to the mathematical properties of 13, it indeed seems the ideal candidate for bringing good luck: it is both a prime number and a lucky number.
In favor of the number 13, let us note that there are 13 lunations in a year.