Amulets and Symbols in Jewelry Design

Whether you call them amulets, charms, fetishes, or talismans, virtually every culture had them.  I like to think of them as little works of art, but they are so much more than that.  They were worn on the body to bring luck, heal, enhance fertility, protect against injury (during travel, hunting, or from bites and stings) or ward off evil, depending on the wearers beliefs and intentions.  They came in many forms, made with different materials, and adorned with different symbols. The meaning and significance in the symbolism of a particular image changed from east to west, culture to culture, and even day to day.  Even if you do not believe in their magical powers, it is fun to know the intention of the artists who created them, and the power felt by the person who wore them before you, as many of the pieces are antiques.  Below is a list of amulets and symbols found in many of the pendants and beads in KatieO jewelry.

Ganesha:

Ganesha is the god of practical wisdom, the bringer of good luck, and the remover of obstacles. He is beloved by Hindus and Buddhists.  He is called upon and worshipped before journeys, rituals, major ventures, and marriages.  He is the protector of knowledge, books, and education.  He represents wordly wisdom in the Indian Pantheon and is patron of the book trade. 

Ganesha's enormous belly symbolizes the universe.  Sometimes he is shown dancing which symbolizes the heartbeat of the universe and the underlying rhythm which unites all existing manifestations no matter how crude or bizarre they may seem at first. Ganesha's mount is a mouse, the animal which can slip through the smallest hole, or gnaw its way through obstructions.  He has at least four arms, a broken tusk, wears a sacrificial cord of snakes, and sits on a locus throne or on his mouse. 

Through the combination of his friendly, genial form, and his elevated yogic statis, Ganesha represents the unity of man, the individual, and the universe. Since antiquity the elephant has been regarded as the wisest of animals, because it lives the longest, and the strongest, because it can push its way through the thickest and thorniest jungles, thus Ganesha makes way for the traveler, especially the spiritual traveler.

Photos:

Top Left:  Pendant from the KatieO collection

Bottom Right:  Tea Party, from the Jewelry Gallery

                           Pendant from the KatieO collection