Amulets, Part One: Symbol and style
Part One of a two-part post.
They exist outside fashion, unique, antique or found objects. One of my friends wears three gold wedding bands on a chain around her neck, two once worn by her parents and one found.
An amul
et may be your your grandmother's sapphire brooch, a tiny pebble from that beach walk with your true love, drilled and worn on a silk cord. Invested with deep meaning, the amulet is a possession that breaks your heart if lost. (Shown, sapphire and diamond clover brooch, Firestone and Parson.)
But life offers new amulets if
you stay open. Walk by an artisan's stall in India and choose a silver elephant bracelet, or pick up an enameled fleur de lis pin, already distressed, at a jumble sale. Amulets do not have to be in perfect shape!(Shown, traditional Indian elephant bracelet from eBay seller rajathstanjewellery.)
Take the tiny leaf you found on your holiday and have it cast in gold, with a pearl on the bale.
You may have a number of talismanic pieces, and you will know which they are. Wearing them feels significant; they're for days when you want an infusion of strength and support.
When I chose pieces for this post, I realized that each is directly connected to my family, but yours need not be.
A friend, single after years in a painful marriage, bought herself a charm in the shape of a Nautilus shell, symbolic of her emergence. Hers is gold; shown, diamond and gold Nautilus pendant by Van Cleef & Arpels, $3,850 from Beladora.Here are some of mine:
1. My father's class ring, De Paul Academy, Chicago, 1922.
2. Hammered
gold bangle inscribed inside, "Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime", given by Le Duc. 3. Art deco
pate de verre, onyx, marcasite and silver lavaliere, ca. 1924; the first piece of jewelry my father gave my mother. She was fifteen, he was twenty.What are your amulets, and what do they mean to you?
Tomorrow: Amulets, Part Two: Some choices
Comments
But my favorite talismanic jewelry are my charm bracelets -- two of them -- which are loaded down with charms from my travels and childhood. Since I'm not the subtle type, when I wear one, I wear both, one on top of the other (same wrist). Jingle, jingle...
In response to this posting, I've just opened up the little authentification card accompanying the fetish, with the artist's name, and several of Renzo's long white whiskers fell out. (Renzo is almost all black, so the whiskers are striking). I must have inserted them in the card when Renzo went missing the autumn before last, so I guess all of us have our superstitions. He did return, after 5 weeks away. The fetish lives in the drawer of my office desk.
I hadn't noticed your cat - I couldn't see that pic very well but clicked on it to enlarge it. He is a beautiful cat, but looks as big as a lynx, knowing that you are 5'10"! He's twice Renzo's size.
metscan: What a lovely gesture of gratitude. He is a very shy, elderly cat.
Tessa: A tender memory, and wearing it for thirty years, the bracelet becomes part of you. (And a testimony to how well made it was.)
lagatta: I remember when Renzo went missing and his remarkable return! Your fetish may not be suitable for mounting- like you, I don't like to alter them. Some people carry them in their pockets but I like fetishes displayed on a small stand or bookshelf.
Our cat is a big boy, very lynx like.
I do wear bracelets and especially like a lot of different earrings.
Your pendants look gorgeous.
Jewelry for most people has meaning, and the idea of wearing an amulet, trandscends the intrinsic value of the any piece. I absolutely adore the idea of a piece given in love and worn with appreciation like your Je t'aime bracelet.