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.

Jade:

Jade, with its varieties jadeite and nephrite, has been in use since the stone ages.  It has been used as a symbol of power, magic, masculinity, virtue, immortality,  and courage to name a few.   As with many green stones, it is associated with fertility, rebirth, and immortality.  To the Aztecs, it was a symbol of the heart and of the blood, and their most valued bead. They attributted magical healing powers to jade, and it was believed to perform miracles.  The Spanish conquistadores took the jade amulets, many often kidney shaped, back to Spain, where they were used to cure kidney ailments.  The Maoris carved small amulets called "hei tiki" which were godly figures in human form.  They believed that the bearer of a tiki was insured fertility and a long life.  

In China it is the most precious stone and has symbolized a whole spectrum of attributes, starting in the first dynasties, where it symbolized courage and loyalty.  Jade amulets placed in graves were believed to perserve the body after death.  Jade was also strongly identified with virtue, and was used to symbolize moral purity, justice, truth, harmony, and incorruptbility. Although it was a symbol of the solar and male energy, the yang principle, it also had female attributes.  Jade butterflies are a symbol of faithfulness and eternal love, and were given by young men to the bride to be. 

Photos:

Top Left:  Pendant from the KatieO Collection

Bottom Right:  Pendants and Beads from the KatieO Collection