magic of numbers

Numerology in jewellery from the Middle East

Updated November 21, 2025

Numerology and jewellery: an introduction to numbers in adornment

Numerology—the belief that numbers carry symbolic meaning—has played a subtle yet powerful role in jewellery design across the Middle East and North Africa. In this post, I explore how numbers like three, five and seven are woven into the forms of adornment.

These are not decorative choices alone: they reflect magical thinking, protection, and deeply held cultural associations. From dangling elements arranged in odd-numbered clusters to elements alluding to the heavens, numerology has left its imprint on the very structure of traditional jewellery.

Odd and even: why uneven counts matter in Middle Eastern jewellery

That visualization of numerology starts with the difference between even and uneven numbers. Why is there often an uneven number of dangles on a pendant, for example? In jewellery, symmetry and evenness are preferably avoided. Usually, the number of bells and dangles on a particular pendant or amulet will be uneven, which is believed to be a way of warding off the evil eye.

In some regions, an even number is considered to be outright dangerous as the symmetric perfection of an even number will, it is believed, attract the evil eye. Click here to read more about the evil eye in jewellery.

The power of three: triads, triplets and jewellery symbolism

Three is considered to denote the sacred cycle of life (birth, existence and death) and spells are often recited three times.

Many festivities last for three days to enhance their efficacy and good fortune, and triangles, having three sides, are considered a powerful charm. Three is also the old conjunction of man, woman and child and as such was an important number in Antiquity.

Many deities were grouped into trinities or triads, and one deity could also be venerated in three forms. Those three forms would be based on the cycle of life and death, and usually are some manifestation of beginning, middle and end.

In jewellery, three-sided symbols or forms made of three’s are said to have great power: the six-pointed star of hexagram is a double triangle, for example. The threefold repetition of decorative motifs is another way to include the power of this number in jewellery.

Five and the khamsa: the number 5 in amulets and protection

Five is the number most commonly used in jewellery, and some cultures consider the fifth day of the week, Thursday, to be sacred, believing that anything undertaken on this day has more chance of success than activities undertaken on other days of the week.

That is because the number five is associated with the five pillars of Islam, the five fingers of the hand and the five daily prayers.

Five also has a profound cosmic meaning: it visualizes humankind in the center of the four cardinal directions, and as such is a beautiful metaphor for Creation itself.

In jewellery design, five becomes apparent through the arranging of elements in groups of five, or the number of dangles underneath pendants.

And of course it manifests in the khamsa: click here to read more about the powers and history of the khamsa!

Seven and the starry sky: celestial numbering in jewellery design

Seven has been symbolically meaningful since ancient Egypt, where the goddess Isis, renowned for her magical powers, is surrounded by seven scorpions.

Many shrines in North Africa and Southwest Asia need to be circumambulated seven times. This also holds true for the Kaaba in Mecca, which pilgrims circle seven times counterclockwise.

Seven has a cosmic meaning as well: in Antiquity, the seven visible planets were an important element of astronomy and astrology. Click here to read more about astrology in jewellery.

How numerology operates in Middle Eastern jewellery design

All these numbers are repeatedly worked into general jewellery decoration as well, and that is how numerology influences jewellery design. [1] Take a moment to closely at your favourite piece of jewellery. Count its dangles, observe its design: do you notice a motif often occurs in three’s, five’s or seven’s?

Triangles with three points, squares with four points, crosses with five points (the intersection is seen as a point as well), and their combinations, all provide geometrical decorations generally designed to ward off evil.

When actual, written numbers are worked into a magic square, they combine their powers into an effective amulet tailored for the person wearing it.

Understanding jewellery through numbers: a closing reflection

So you see, the arrangement of elements in jewellery may look general, and even be standardized patterning, but it finds its origin in the highly meaningful rendition of numbers.

The use of numerology in jewellery offers a key to understanding how form and meaning intertwine in traditional adornment of the Middle East and North Africa. Numbers such as three, five and seven are embedded in amulets, pendants and jewellery structures—not simply as decoration, but as carriers of cultural logic, ritual purpose and protective power. For collectors, museum curators or anyone drawn to the material culture of the region, recognising these numeric patterns opens a richer appreciation of both jewellery and the societies that produced it.

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Where can I learn more about symbolism in jewellery design?

Six ways how magic influences jewellery design: want to know how? Download your free e-book on amulets here!

Other jewellery & magic blogs? Browse them all here!

Find out more about the magic of numbers in the e-course on Amulets and Magic in Jewellery!

This post is based on the chapter ‘The Evil Eye and Other Problems’ in my book Desert Silver.

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References

[1] Westermarck, E, 1904. The magic origin of Moorish designs, in: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol 34

Lead image has been created adapting works from The British Libary and HmmlOrientalia.

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