What Is an Amulet Necklace?

You have probably heard the term amulet necklace before. It sounds magical and mysterious and it is only natural that you are curious about it. Well, just so you know, in our NYC jewelry collections, you will discover amazing amulet necklaces that are bound to become your favorite jewelry pieces. But before you buy fashion necklaces, let’s take a walk through history and find out what this jewelry piece is all about. Read further to discover the amazing stories behind amulet necklaces.

The Amulet Necklace & Its History

Scientists believe the amulet necklace to be one of the oldest forms of jewelry. Thousands of years ago, people would wear amulet necklaces made of feathers, bones, and stone. Thankfully, the jewelry world has evolved a lot and nowadays we can wear an amulet necklace that features a chic gemstone set in gold, silver or other precious metals.

Many years ago, people would wear amulet necklaces as some sort of protection. They believed these jewelry pieces to have magical properties that could enable them to stay away from harm, find good luck or even win in battles. As the time passed, the look of amulet necklaces has changed a lot. However, their meaning has not. Even today we still wear an amulet necklace and believe in its magical properties. Call it superstition, faith or curiosity. Regardless of our views on the protective power of amulet necklaces, we have to admit that this type of necklaces has a unique charm. And speaking of unique, let’s see which were the most common amulet necklaces in ancient cultures.

The Amulet Necklace & the Egyptians

When speaking of ancient cultures, the Egyptians are the first ones to pop into our minds. Well, after all, they created the pyramids, so it’s no wonder they are famous. Anyhow, for the Egyptians, an important amulet necklace was the one that featured the scarab. Otherwise known as the dung beetle, the scarab, with its property of turning waste to life, symbolized resurrection and transformation for the ancient Egyptians.

Besides the scarab, which is a pretty famous amulet necklace symbol, the Egyptians have another powerful symbol: the Wadjet. This one, which looked like an eye, was believed to be the eye of an ancient snake goddess. Its purpose was to protect the pharaoh and the people which lived in the land.

Both the scarab and the Wadjet have maintained their fascination for people. Today you can find many jewelry creations featuring these two motifs, including amulet necklaces.

The Amulet Necklace & the Hebrews

Hebrew people had (and still have) a scared symbol known today as the Star of David. Back then it was called the Shield of David and people believed it to be one of the most powerful forms of protection. Composed of two intersecting triangles, the Star of David is still a popular motif in jewelry nowadays. You can find an amulet necklace with this design in many places.

Another amulet necklace symbol which the Hebrews share with Muslim people is the Hand of Miriam (for Hebrews) or the Hand of Fatima (for Muslims). Berber people call this symbol simply “the Hamsa”. An amulet necklace featuring this motif offers protection to the wearer and helps them achieve their goals.

The Amulet Necklace & the Indians

Indian people have a lot of symbols in their jewelry, but we are going to talk about one of them. The Haldili, which is a pendant featuring jewels, represents the Tree of Life. Moving further with the symbol, Indian people believe the Tree of Life to signify the divine vital force. People who believe in its power wear it to protect themselves from grief, heartbreak, and palpitations.

The Amulet Necklace & the Italians

You may have heard of the evil eye amulet necklace. Well, it comes from the Italians and it will surprise you to know that many of them are still wearing it. They call it “malocchio” and they wear it to protect themselves. Whether you believe in its powers or not, you have to admit this is one of the most popular jewelry symbols today as more and more people have adopted the trend.

The Amulet Necklace & the Hmong People

One of the most interesting amulet necklaces are the ones of the Hmong people in Southeast Asia. As the story goes, they believe each individual has multiple souls inside their body. In order to be happy, healthy and so on, people have to preserve their souls and prevent them from escaping the body.

How do you know if one of your souls has escaped? Well, you become ill. And once that happens, you have to visit a shaman who will perform a ceremony to retrieve the missing soul. After that, when the person gets better and the rebellious soul is back in their body, they have to wear an amulet necklace. This is designed to be a “spirit lock” that will prevent that particular soul from escaping again. And what about the other ones? Well, the amulet necklace doesn’t work on them so they can escape. As a result, a Hmong individual can end up wearing up to six “spirit lockets” on their amulet necklace in the course of one life.

If you enjoyed discovering more about the amulet necklace, check out our other articles as well. There’s plenty of interesting information about jewelry on our blog, so get reading. To view Ana Luisa’s amulet necklaces collection, visit our online jewelry shop.

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Ruxandra

Ruxandra is a fashion blogger who teaches fashion stumped twenty to thirty somethings how to shop their jewelry boxes for polished new ensembles. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Fashionista, Nylon, and Refinery29.