Crucifixes, Angels and Faith

Sometimes we wear jewelry because we hope it will bring us good luck. Sometimes we think jewelry will give us power by protecting us or making our wishes come true.   There's another category of jewelry that can be said to more or less combine these two ideas as well as add a third dimension.  This is faith based or religious-themed jewelry.

Much of the religious themed jewelry I see in the U.S. relates to Christianity.  Many devout Christians wear a crucifix or other symbols as a sign of their faith, and perhaps because they believe that they are being watched over.  In fact many people of both sexes wear a crucifix at all times under their outer garments for this very reason.

Another common theme is the angel.  Angels have become very popular in the past few years as symbols of protection and love.  Many people believe that they have a guardian angel.  Although Bibilcal angels can't exactly be said to be warm and fuzzy, the popular media, such as television and books, have certainly toned down their image.  Now angels not only step in to straighten out people's lives, they can do it with a sense of humor.  So angels can be shown watching over babies -- or taking care of someone's heart.

A great deal of religious themed jewelry relates to specific holidays or events.  The Lily is the symbol of Easter.  The creche, or manger, is another symbol at Christmas time.  These symbols remind people that Easter is not just for a trip to Ft. Lauderdale or Christmas only about the gifts.  They remind us what these holidays are really all about.

Of course there are also items that are related to Christianity, but even more specifically to Catholicism.   Items such as St. Christopher medals, sacred heart medals, the head of Christ and miraculous medals are common. They may be combined with the The Lord's Prayer or the Serenity Prayer on he reverse.  Sometimes these items have been blessed by priests which grants them even more power.


Yes, most people and most jewelry is designed to be worn for purely decorative purposes.  It can be the latest fashion trend, such as statement necklaces.  But there's also a lot of hidden meaning behind the jewelry we choose wear that says a lot about the person wearing it.

Magical Thinking, Amulets and Jewelry

When I started writing about good luck jewelry, I realized that believing something would bring you luck was just a form of magical thinking.  If you stop to think about the origins of jewelry, you realize that it probably began when man first started wearing amulets to bring power and ward off evil.  The cave man who wore a saber tooth necklace was taking onto himself the power of the tiger he had slain to protect him from other animals and to aid him in his future hunts.  Shamans often wore a pouch of mystical items for curing and protection and other tribe members also wore protective pouches.  Thus, jewelry was born and even though we think of it as purely decorative today, it still reflects many of these earlier ideas.

For example, we save the wishbone after the Thanksgiving turkey. We believe that if we break it and get the larger side, our wish will come true.  Wishbone jewelry and has been around for years. Rhinestone wishbones were particularly popular during the 1950's and 60's.   I guess humans just can't stop wearing bones!  Of course, these examples are much more pleasing than a real wishbone would be.  These scatter pins also have the added element of amethyst, which is supposed to offer protection.

We can't forget magical themes either.  Magicians, sorcerers, fairies and other magical beings can be both good and evil.  Children in particular believe in these magical beings, perhaps because they feel a lack of power over their lives. Many children's books (Harry Potter anyone?) have magic as an important part of the story line.  A lot of little girls love fairies and especially adore Tinkerbell.  This darling little fairy looks a bit like Tinkerbell and is something that can be worn as a pendant or hung in a window.  Personally, I think she looks like she is playing basketball.  I wonder if she's a relation to Magic Johnson?

I think the most common magical piece is the star.  We are taught as very young children that we can make wishes on the first star of the evening.  One of the first songs we ever learn is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.  Stars have always had an important place throughout the history of the human race.  We put them on Christmas trees, we award them as honors, we accord celebrities the title of "star" just to name a few.  So it's no wonder that they are one of the most common themes in jewelry.   Here's just a couple of examples, but I bet you have at least four or five in your own jewelry box.

Did you happen to notice the happy face on the blue star?  Another modern day example of magical thinking, wishing random strangers happiness.

I've just touched on a few items of jewelry that reflect magical thinking.  At a subconscious level I think that we often tend to migrate toward old themes that promise us luck, power and happiness.

Lucky Charms and Los Vegas

I recently went to Las Vegas to visit with my grandkids.  Naturally, I went through my jewelry box to pick out all my "special" pieces that I think will bring me good luck while I am there.  Some of these are items that I inherited from my mother, so to my mind, they offer a double whammy.

My mother absolutely loved to gamble and she had at least 10 different items that she would wear when she went gambling.  Apparently all these good luck charms worked, because at various times she won $25,000, $10,000, $5,000 and various other jackpots ranging from $500 up.  One year she was so lucky, that for the rest of her life the IRS listed her as a "professional gambler."

One of her favorite lucky charms was a small jade elephant on a gold chain she would wear under her blouse. "Upraised trunks," she told us, "always mean good luck."   I don't know what ever happened to that particular elephant, but now whenever I see elephants with upraised trunks,  I think of her and believe that they will bring me good luck too. With six elephants marching around with upraised trunks,  I'm sure that this bracelet has just got to be extra lucky.

Of course, I also always wear my lucky horseshoe ring.  The horseshoe has been a symbol of good luck for centuries.  As you probably know, you must always wear the horseshoe with the sides up, so the luck doesn't run out.  Horseshoes are one of the easiest shapes to find in jewelry.  Here's a lovely rhinestones piece that is exactly what I mean.  On the other hand, in case you need to be reminded of which way to wear your horseshoe and what it means, there's this necklace to fill the bill.

Another common lucky piece, for gamblers especially, is the four leaf clover.  Perhaps this is related to shamrocks and the concept of lepruchan's gold.  I remember as a child searching for four leaf clovers in the grass, assuming I would then always have good luck.  This particular four leaf clover is a very clever and sophisticated way to wear a lucky piece, even in a business setting.

Lots of people have certain pieces of jewelry that they believe will bring them good luck at gambling, a business endeavor or love, even if they won't admit it. 

What did I inherit from my Mom that I always wear?  A large, turquoise nugget ring that only fits on my middle finger.  I never go West without it.

Jeweled Insect Beauties for Spring and Summer

Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I anxiously await summer every year.  This year we've been blessed with an early spring and I've been outside a lot, cleaning up the year and planting new flowers.  In fact, we've had to mow the grass twice already - in early May!  Honestly, that makes me very happy.

Of course, the other side to an early summer is the earlier onset of bugs.  We've had tons of flies and a few spiders.  And our intrepid hunter cat, Nikki, has been kind enough to nail a yellow jacket inside the house.  She's finally earning her keep!

Since spring is busting out all over, I just had to go through my jewelry stash and start listing flowers and insects.  I was amazed at how many jeweled and enameld items that I had.  It seems that jewelry designers have come up with a million ways to make some of these pests beautiful.

  
Flies for example.  I think they look a lot better covered in rhinestones that mimic the irridescence of their bodies. 

I certainly like this imitation pearl spider with his turquoise beaded legs a lot more than the nasty brown one I found in my shower last week.

Bees seem to get a lot of play in the jewelry world.  I guess their striped bodies make them more interesting to designers who like to use contrasting or complimentary colors.  These two examples, one in rhinestone and one in enamel certainly demonstrates the possibilities.

Butterflies of course are already beautiful and everyone seems to love them.  So it's no surprise that they are a favorite item of jewelry.  These two, although both very different, and certainly not colors that are found in nature, are both amazing.

I guess maybe the bugs aren't so bad after all.  That is, if they're in my jewelry box!