The evil eye in jewellery

The evil eye in jewellery

by | Magic & Amulets

power of the eye symbol

The evil eye in jewellery

Updated August 08, 2024

What is the point of evil eye jewellery? Beads in the shape of an eye are a familiar sight all over the world, and it is a shape that goes back at least 3,500 years. What does it represent, and which other forms may eye jewellery take? In this article, I’ll explore how the symbol of the eye appears in jewellery, and what it means.

Ancient eye beads in a museum.
Modern eye beads in all colours, looking like a jumble of candy.

Let’s start by addressing what the evil eye is…

In essence, the evil eye is nothing else than jealousy or envy. I suppose we can all relate to what that feels like: that moment when you realize someone is jealous of you, or something you have achieved, or something you own, that moment makes the hairs on your arms stand up and your spine tingle. You awkwardly try to divert their attention to something else by changing the topic of your conversation, but the harm has been done.

And the thing is, you have seen it in their eyes as well as in their behaviour. That glance, that look, that split second? That was the evil eye being cast at you.

Jealousy may leave us feeling anxious, threatened, insecure or even betrayed – jealousy affects our basic need of feeling safe and valued, so no wonder this feeling has been believed to bring visible and material harm as well.

A telling example comes from the Aures Mountains, Algeria. Here, it was reported that with every glance cast a jinn traveled along with it, and that jinn would harm the person or the thing that the glance was directed at. [1]

Evil eye symbolism draws on that looking and staring.

The eye is called ‘ayn al -hasad (‘eye of envy’) or nazar (‘glance, look)’ The concept of envy has been visualized in a symbol that captures it all: the eye. Envy and jealously arise from something you’ve seen, and it is transmitted through glares and glances. The eye represents both aspects: becoming jealous, and showing it.

Incidentally, you may have experienced that openly staring at something or someone for too long is considered inappropriate in many cultures: that is that same act of looking that may make a person feel uneasy. Even if it is not because of jealousy, but out of admiration!

Staring too long in either case is inappropriate, and being too vocal about your admiration of someone or something may alert jinn, who are known to turn jealous easily…and we’re back to square one.

The eye is a universal symbol that has been in use since the early civilizations, so it is not unique to Islam only, and it is not unique to one particular country either. The history of the eye in jewellery can be traced back to the distant past: in Egypt and Mesopotamia, the concept of the evil eye was already known. [2] Eye beads have been found in archaeological excavations across the Mediterranean and throughout Europe.

How and why is the evil eye used in jewellery?

And that brings me to the question how the evil eye is integrated into jewellery, and what its purpose is. Here, I will focus on jewellery in the shape of an eye only.

The eye symbol is not just a symbol, putting a shape to that complex, uneasy feeling, but is sometimes also thought of as an entity of its own.

And jewellery counteracts that concept of the evil eye through a huge variety of forms, shapes and guises: this blog series highlights many of those amuletic capacities of jewellery. One of those is jewellery in the shape of an actual eye, so let’s look at that next.

What is evil eye jewellery?

Basically, jewellery in the shape of an eye is the first line of defense against such malicious glances. The idea is not that the wearer is casting the evil eye herself, but it works more along the lines of mirroring and deflecting. The moment ‘that’ look is shot in your direction, it will be met with a counter-gaze. That is where jewellery in the form of an actual eye gets its power from.

Usually, these will be glass beads in the shape of an eye, but there are a few other forms as well that take the form of an eye. Banded agate for example can be fashioned into eye-beads, and has been used as such for at least two millennia.

Cowrie shells may be used as a ‘stand-in’ for an eye too, as they resemble the shape of a half-closed eye. [3]

A bright blue eye.
A few dazzling blue saba uyun amulets, also called Lochscheibe or Seven Eyes amulets, on a bazaar in Iran

Are evil eye beads bad, then?

That’s a question I hear a lot. The term ‘evil eye jewellery’ or ‘evil eye beads’ has become so commonplace that we would almost forget that this is a contraption of two different things: the evil eye itself (a bad thing), and the eye symbol that is believed to work against it (a good thing).

The eye beads on charm bracelets and necklaces are not evil themselves – they deflect evil.

Whether you feel comfortable wearing them is a matter of your own values, but historically, eye beads and eye jewellery are not designed as evil. They serve to counteract evil.

And what about the blue in evil eye jewellery?

Historically, these evil eye beads appear as blue eyes. That is of course related to the cultural importance of the colour blue, to the relative rarity of people with blue eyes around the Mediterranean (‘relative’, mind you – they did and do exist), but also to the limits of technical possibilities in the past.

Nowadays, you’ll find eye beads in all colours including yellow, pink, orange or green. These are marketed with nifty sales pitches, promoting various amuletic capacities for every colour: I found pink eye beads plugged as serving ‘love’, but also to ‘neutralize disorder’ or ‘protecting friendships’.

Here, it would seem the millennia old eye symbol is now being merged with modern-day interpretations of colours and their perceived powers. This is more of a marketing concept than embpodying actual beliefs that are rooted in history – these forms of the evil eye are often mass-produced in China and serve no other purpose than profit.

The evil eye is perhaps oldest amulet symbol in the world. It is still being used and acquiring new meanings today, developing along with the changing needs, spiritual convictions and economic savy of today’s world – but in doing so, it is at risk of becoming a commodity only.

Very specific forms of eye beads

There are several specific forms of eye beads throughout North Africa and Southwest Asia: in many regions, unique traditions have developed that take their own spin on evil eye beads. Some examples are here on the blog:

The ‘Seven Eyes’ blue bead that you’ll find throughout Southwest Asia…but what is it, and what are those seven eyes?

Khalili glass eye beads from Hebron were popular from Southwest Asia to Italy: how were they worn? This article explores.

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Where can I learn more about evil eye beads and jewellery?

Find out more about the histories behind amulets in the e-course on Amulets and Magic in Jewellery!

Or start by downloading the free e-book on amulets and jewellery here.

More posts on jewellery and amulets? Browse them all here!

Join the Jewellery List and receive new articles, jewellery news and more in your inbox!

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References

[1] Hilton-Simpson, 1915. Some Algerian superstitions noted among the Shawia Berbers of the Aures Mountains and their nomad neighbours, in: Folklore Vol. 26 No. 3, p. 228.

[2] S. Gunther & D. Pielow (eds) 2018. Geheimnisse der Oberen und Unteren Welt. Magie im Islam zwischen Glaube und Wissenschaft, p. 29.

[3] Hilton-Simpson, 1915. Some Algerian superstitions noted among the Shawia Berbers of the Aures Mountains and their nomad neighbours, in: Folklore Vol. 26 No. 3, p. 229.

Would you like to quote this article? Please do! Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery, and obtained her PhD at Leiden University on the jewellery of the Egyptian zar-ritual. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Iron in folklore and jewellery: amulets and belief

Iron in folklore and jewellery: amulets and belief

by | Magic & Amulets

iron as amulet

Iron in folklore and jewellery: amulets and belief

Updated September 14, 2025

Iron is unlike any other metal used in amulets and jewellery. While gold and silver are prized for beauty and value, iron has long been associated with protection and power. In Middle Eastern traditions and beyond, iron objects were thought to ward off unseen forces and safeguard the wearer.

This reputation made iron an important material in amulet traditions: from small protective pendants to everyday objects carried as charms. Folklore around blacksmiths, meteoric iron, and sacred texts adds to the sense that iron was never just a practical material, but a deeply symbolic one.

Interested in amulet traditions in jewellery? This blog explores how amulets in jewellery work!

Iron’s reputation as protective metal in folklore

For centuries, communities across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have believed that iron had the power to repel harmful or unseen forces. Horseshoes hung above doors, iron nails driven into thresholds, and small iron objects worn on the body were all part of a long-standing tradition of using the metal to keep misfortune at bay.

In the Middle East, iron was often linked with strength and resilience. Its ability to be forged into weapons and tools set it apart from softer metals. Unlike gold or silver, which were associated with wealth and beauty, iron was the everyday metal of farmers, soldiers, and craftsmen. Its strength gave rise to the idea that it could also protect in unseen ways, forming an invisible barrier between the wearer and potential harm.

Learn to read jewellery! Four colourful images of online courses.

Iron and the supernatural

There is a lot of ambivalence towards iron in the human world. That is visible in the contradictory nature of sources when it comes to its uses and status.

One of the hadith states that the Prophet Muhammad wished for his personal signet ring to be made of silver. An iron ring was inacceptable to him, as it was ‘emblematic of souls condemned to eternal fire’. [2]

But on the other hand, king Solomon wore a ring said to be partly of brass and partly of iron. Solomon, widely seen as a wise and just king, used the ring to command all spirits: the iron however was used to seal orders for evil spirts. [3]

Iron and the supernatural are associated, too, but we come across conflicting statements: spirits are scared of it, yet they wear it as adornment, they use it as weapon themselves but can be harmed by it in turn.

So, let’s look beyond folklore, and turn to the invention of ironworking itself.

Iron and its meteoric origins

In the Qur’an, sura al-Ḥadīd states that iron was ‘sent down’ to the earth by God. [1] This brings the earliest form in which iron was available t0 mind: meteoric iron. It literally fell from the sky.

Smaller and larger lumps of iron, remnants of meteorites, can be found all over the Sahara, for example. You can see several of these meteoric iron lumps in the image below. The key pendant is from Oman: keys allude to iron, and that is one of the reasons they are used as amulets. (click here to see more about keys as amulets)

This type of iron was easier to work than iron ore that had to be mined, and so may have been the first type of iron to be worked. One of Tutankhamun’s daggers, dating from around 1350 BCE, was confirmed to have been made of meteoric iron. [4]

And not only was the first iron to be used by humans literally from out of this world, and so may have installed itself in our collective memory, the invention of ironworking had a profound effect in virtually every culture where it was first discovered. [5]

Lumps of meteoric iron from the Sahara, with a silver amulet in the shape of a key.

Blacksmiths, fire, and the power of iron

Because when you zoom out, you’ll find that around the world the working of iron is surrounded by myths and legends.

The person of the blacksmith or ironmonger is as ambivalent as the material itself: in many societies, blacksmiths exist on the fringes of their community, both literally and metaphorically.

Literally, because ironworking requires the use of fire. Workshops were often located at the border of a settlement, and preferably downwind. That would minimize the risk of the settlement catching fire: a necessary precaution in times when buildings as well as temporary structures were made of materials that would easily go up in flames.

And metaphorically, because those blazing fires were often associated with otherworldly realms. Any person working in those circumstances, withstanding the extreme heat, seemingly bending fire to their will and creating things of a previously unmatched hardness and durability surely had to be in league with invisible forces!

Because, just picture it: there’s a person emerging from the furnace on the edge of your community, black as the devil, or a demon, or any frighting supernatural being one believes in, surrounded by unpleasant smells of sweat and dirt, and holding something only a few could create but many wanted, like a sword or a tool…that goes against all manifestations of cleanliness and purity you could imagine. Blacksmiths were highly suspicious, but much-needed people.

And so, they were both admired and feared. Edmond Doutté writes for Algeria that ‘son of a blacksmith’ was intended as an insult and records how blacksmithing across the Maghreb was widely regarded as a profession that was looked down upon and associated with magic. [6] The same fate befell blacksmiths across the Arab Peninsula. [7]

It would seem that both the material itself as well as the persons working with it have been treated ambiguously, ever since the use of iron was first discovered.

Amulets and jewellery made of iron

I think it is quite likely that this association of iron with the supernatural is much older than any of the three monotheistic religions, and is something that has lingered in our collective memory for as long as iron has been forged by hand.

Iron is something we can defend ourselves with against very visible enemies, but also a mysterious commodity associated with the supernatural: perhaps it could be used to defend ourselves against invisible beings, too?

In the Middle East, jewellery sometimes incorporated elements not for decoration but for protective symbolism. In the case of iron, that could be actual iron objects such as keys, but also objects that refer to iron such as miniature tools. The reference to iron itself would be powerful enough to protect the wearer.

The value here lay not in material worth but in cultural meaning: iron was cheap compared to silver or gold, yet powerful in what it was believed to do.

Why iron still matters in material culture

Today, iron may seem too ordinary to deserve much attention in jewellery or museum collections. Yet its cultural role makes it important. Iron objects, from keys and tools to amulets and ornaments, remind us that jewellery and adornment are not only about beauty or wealth. They are also about belief, protection, and the way people have understood their world.

For collectors, curators, and historians, iron offers a fascinating case of how an everyday material became extraordinary in the imagination of those who used it.

A small iron ring may not sparkle like gold, but its value lies in the stories it carries: of protection, of cosmic origins, of blacksmiths who wielded fire to create it.

Iron: more than metal

Iron stands apart in the history of jewellery and adornment. It carries a weight of meaning of its own. As folklore, sacred texts, and everyday practice all show, iron was believed to protect, to guard, and to symbolise strength.

When we look at iron in amulets and jewellery, we are reminded that the stories and beliefs surrounding a material are as important as the object itself. Here, we see a technological advancement that created ripples across the world, reflected in popular beliefs: once again, magical beliefs point to actual events in the past, and to me that really is their greatest power!

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Find out more about the histories behind amulets in the e-course on Amulets and Magic in Jewellery!

Or start by downloading the free e-book on amulets and jewellery here.

More posts on jewellery and amulets? Browse them all here!

Join the Jewellery List and receive new articles, jewellery news and more in your inbox!

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Learn to read symbolism in jewellery today!

References

1] Ruska, J., “al-Ḥadīd”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 02 October 2023. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.leidenuniv.nl:2048/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_2588

[2] J. Allan, D. Sourdel and Ed., “K̲h̲ātam, K̲h̲ātim”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 02 October 2023 <http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.leidenuniv.nl:2048/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_4232&gt;

[3] Walker, J. and Fenton, P., “Sulaymān b. Dāwūd”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 02 October 2023 <http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.leidenuniv.nl:2048/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7158&gt;

[4] D. Cornelli et. al. 2016. The meteoritic origin of Tutankhamun’s iron dagger blade, in: Meteoritics & Planetary Science Vol 51, issue 7, pp 1301-1309

[5] Doutté, E. 1909. Magie et Religion dans l’Afrique du Nord, p. 42.

[6] Doutté, E. 1909. Magie et Religion dans l’Afrique du Nord, p. 42-44.

[7] Chelhod, J., “Ḳayn”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 02 October 2023 <http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.leidenuniv.nl:2048/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_4063&gt;

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S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

The Bedouin Silver Jewellery Blog: Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery, and obtained her PhD at Leiden University on jewellery, informal ritual and collections. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only. Sigrid strongly believes in accessibility of knowledge, and aims to provide reliable and trustworthy content: that’s why the Bedouin Silver blog provides references and citations.

Rings as amulets

Rings as amulets

by | Magic & Amulets

rings of power

The Magic of Rings

Updated Jan 1, 2024

If there is any piece of jewellery that has been associated with magical powers, it has to be the ring. Rings carry a lot of meaning, and a lot has been written about Classical and European rings: how about rings in North Africa and Southwest Asia? Can a ring be an amulet? In this article, I’ll show you 5 ways rings can work as amulets.

Rings on our fingers

Rings are very prominent items of jewellery. They sit on our finger, where they are visible to both ourselves and the people around us. They can be used to attract attention or to show off riches, but at the same time their presence is very personal, felt on our fingers by our every move.

And that is an even more important symbiosis: rings move along with every gesture of our hands. As such, they are almost active jewels. This symbiosis is of influence on the placement of rings on the finger.

In Oman, a pointed ring is worn on the index finger: it reminds the wearer of her daily prayer. But in Morocco on the other hand, the index finger is left unadorned for precisely the same reason. [1]

That is always something to bear in mind: just like any other form of informal ritual, the magic of rings differs from region to region and also over time.

Ring power: sealing

The significance of rings is reflected in the Arabic word for ring, khatim. Originally, this referred to a seal. That brings along that symbiosis again: when the wearer seals something, they will need to move both their hands and fingers, as well as the ring itself. The ring becomes an inextricable part of that act.

In everyday life, this seal would be an engraved seal with the owner’s name, or a pious text. In magic, it could be a particular design that was assumed to hold power, such as the seal of Solomon or magic squares.

This practice of wearing rings with images or texts that were considered powerful, was already widespread in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. In that respect, rings with inscriptions are a continuation of a practice that is millennia old.

Ring power: inscriptions

Over time, the use of rings for sealing was joined by inscriptions that were not meant to seal: they are legible when worn, instead of engraved in a mirror image.

Engraving a text in a ring would enhance its efficacy: Edmond Doutté, when writing about North Africa in the early 20th century, mentions a spell to attract prosperity in business, which needed to be engraved in a ring. When worn, this would lead to an increase in profit. [2]

So, a ring was something to seal with, but also something that held power of its own.

Ring powers: shape

That is also due to its shape. A ring has no beginning and no end, it is the perfect symbol for eternity and cyclical events. That makes it the perfect symbol for, for example, love and friendship, or to designate a space.

But because of their power to encircle, in some cases rings were believed to do more harm than good. That works along the same lines as knot magic. Just like anything knotted (see more about that here), pilgrims to Mecca were advised not to wear rings on their person. [3]

Ring power: material

The material of which a ring was made, contributes to its power, too. Iron is believed to keep evil at a distance as jinn are afraid of it (see more here on conflicting views on iron and adornment), and silver was the material of the Prophet’s own signet ring. [4] Besides the ring itself, materials used in its setting were also chosen for their properties.

A ring set with a carnelian stone was believed to bring continuous blessings to the wearer [5], and the three varieties of a stone named yaqut were believed to protect against the plague when set in a ring or a necklace. [6]

Here, the power of the material chosen to be set in a ring is combined with the power of the ring itself, and of course of the image or text engraved in that material. Rings are not simply carriers of powerful images or texts, but the entire ensemble including the ring itself is a threefold agent of protection and power.

That is also why many sorcerers and magicians are said to carry signet rings, and rings feature in magical tales [7]: in the 1001 Nights, it is a ring that binds a jinn to do as the owner of the ring commands. [8]

Ring power: magical creating

Making rings could also be part of the process that imbued them with special powers. Not only should they be created on a particular moment in time (often calculated based on astrology, see more on that here), but instructions to make rings could also include specific acts to be carried out, such as slaughtering an animal or incensing the finished product. [9]

Ring power: hard to get

And finally, notably the powerful rings are associated with vivid tales on how hard it is to actually get your hands on them. There are many tales in which rings travel long distances or find themselves in seemingly impossible situations.

The trilogy around Lord of the Rings is even based on all these difficulties, and notably on the hardships in destroying that one ring. Tales like these are also found in the Islamic world. King Solomon’s ring was stolen from him, and after many adventures was found inside a fish. [10]

Rings as amulets: a tradition of millennia

There is power in rings: in their shape, their material, their colour, the process of making them and the journey of obtaining them. Rings have fascinated us for thousands of years, and now you have a little more background on why!

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Find out more about the histories behind amulets in the e-course on Amulets and Magic in Jewellery!

Or start by downloading the free e-book on amulets and jewellery here.

More posts on jewellery and amulets? Browse them all here!

Join the Jewellery List and receive new articles, jewellery news and more in your inbox!

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References

[1] See my book Desert Silver; in prayer, the index finger is pointed upward.

[2] Doutté, E. 1909. Magie et Religion dans l’Afrique du Nord, p. 264.

[3] Doutté, E. 1909. Magie et Religion dans l’Afrique du Nord, p. 88.

[4] See Iafrate, A. 2016. Solomon, Lord of the Rings: fashioning the signet of power from Electrum to Nuhas, in: Al-Masaq 28:3, pp. 221-241 for a discussion of the material of the Ring of Solomon.

[5] Doutté, E. 1909. Magie et Religion dans l’Afrique du Nord, p. 84, see also Porter,V., Saif , L.and E. Savage-Smith, 2017. Medieval Islamic Amulets, Talismans, and Magic, in: Flood, B. and Necipoglu 2017. A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, p. 543.

[6] Content, D. 2016. Ruby, Sapphire & Spinel: An Archaeological, Textual and Cultural Study, p. 18-19, discussing the Stone Book of Aristotle which dates back to the 9th century. This lapidary is not by Aristotle, but has been composed in the Middle East. The varieties of Yaqut are ruby and two varieties of sapphire.

[7] Gunther, S. and D. Pielow, eds, 2018. Die Geheimnisse der Oberen und Unteren Welt, p. XXII

[8] Idem, p. 405 and 407, referring to the story of Aladdin.

[9] Porter,V., Saif , L.and E. Savage-Smith, 2017. Medieval Islamic Amulets, Talismans, and Magic, in: Flood, B. and Necipoglu 2017. A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, p. 522-523, discussing an example from the Arab Middle Ages.

[10] Doutté, E. 1909. Magie et Religion dans l’Afrique du Nord, p. 157.

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Intricacy and doves

Intricacy and doves

by | Objects

A bracelet from tunisia

Intricacy and doves

This is the first installment in the series ‘Objects in Detail’: what stories does this Tunisian bracelet hold?

Silver bracelet from Tunisia, showing two registers with engraved doves.

What do we see? This is a silver bracelet from Tunisia. Its name is swar, which means ‘bracelet’, and it comes from the region of Médenine and Tatouine. [1] First, let’s look at what we see. It has a beautiful and elaborate decoration: a raised, horizontal band divides the bracelet in two halves, and on each half three large panels are visible. The central panel shows an intricate geometrical pattern, and on the two side panels a sweet dove looks at us. The panels are separated by a small decorated vertical band, and the panels with the doves are bordered by a horizontal band above them. When you look closely at the central band, you will see its decoration is worn. That also goes for the upper rim, which has become thinner and smoother. That tells us that this bracelet has been worn regularly. It would have been part of a bride’s dowry, and by the looks of it, she loved wearing it!

Reading the bracelet: the engraving. Like almost all jewellery, the decoration on this bracelet is not just pretty: it is supposed to do something. The intricate pattern on the central panel is designed to confuse evil. [2] Complexity always is meant to achieve that goal – apparently evil is easily distracted. Give it something shiny and it will focus on that, confront it with complex patterns and it will lose its way and forget it was coming for you. I wrote a little about that in this blog post on knots – these do the same thing. The doves, rendered here in a super cute form, are called asfur, and feature on many pieces of jewellery. They are bringers of good luck and blessings [3] and so this bracelet does two things: it keeps evil at a distance, and attracts good fortune for the wearer.

A collage showing a silver Tunisian bracelet with doves, a photo of a dove and a Tunisian arched window with bright blue shutters. A text box reads 'Intricacy and doves'. The logo of Bedouin Silver is visible.

Look beyond the jewellery Jewellery is meant to be worn, not to be admired as standalone object. It is first and foremost directly related to the body, and placing it there can have the location of engravings making even more sense. If you consider for a moment how this bracelet looks when worn (imagine it on your wrist) the central panel is what stands out. This is what you see first, and that makes it the perfect place to add a first line of defense against any forces that might wish the wearer harm. That same principle works outside of jewellery, too: in the image above you’ll see an intricate design around the window of a Tunisian home. This works in exactly the same way: any and all evil that might want to enter the house will get stuck in the maze of lines. The same principles apply to both jewellery and other things you want to keep safe.

Map of North Africa, showing the distribution of silver bracelets. A text box reads 'Bracelets with two registers and six main panels in North Africa. The logo of Bedouin Silver is visible.

…and even further This bracelet is from Tunisia, but it tells us more about its wider cultural family. And it does that through its shape. The same basic lay-out, a manchet with a central raised band, is found all over North Africa. The design into six panels is also visible, for example, on a pair of bracelets shown above. They were made in Cairo, and worn in Siwa oasis as well as Libya. While the individual details vary and are usually typical to a region, the main lay-out is similar. This in turn places jewellery in a wider cultural perspective. As I wrote earlier, the borders present on the map today are relatively recent. These bracelets reflect the transnational cultural identity of the Amazigh people, and their permanent exchange of ideas, languages, people, and things across the trans-Sahara network of trade routes. [4]

So here you see how a bracelet can share so much, ranging from the individual woman that once wore it to the region of the continent she lived in: jewellery is a historic source!

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Want to learn how to read jewellery yourself? Check out the e-courses – there is sure to be a topic that you’ll love!

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References

[1] Baclouti, N. (no year), Les Bijoux d’argent de Tunisie. Office National de l’Artisanat, p. 180-181, also Gargouri-Sethom, S. 2005, Les Bijoux de Tunisie. Dunes Editions, p. 107. Please note that as this is transcribed from Arabic, you will find the same name spelled as ‘suar’, ‘souar’, ‘suwar’, ‘aswar’ and ‘iswar’ (and probably a few more varieties of this). See more on how that works in this blog post.

[2] A parallel piece with identical geometrical designs can be seen in Gargouri-Sethom 2005, p. 106.

[3] Gargouri-Sethom, S. 1986. Le Bijoux Traditionnel en Tunisie, Edisud, p. 97

[4] Gargouri-Sethom, S. 1994, Les Arts Populaires en Tunisie, Agence Nationale d’Exploitation du Patrimoine, p. 89, mentions how in the south of Tunisia, jewellery closely resembles that of Libya.

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Binding magic in jewellery

Binding magic in jewellery

by | Magic & Amulets

keeping it together

Binding magic in jewellery: pins

Updated Jan 28, 2024

The most mundane, everyday things can be transformed into magical objects simply by analogy, and that is what makes this form of magical activities so relatable. Fastening something is one of those acts that can carry a deeper meaning, and the object that goes with it becomes important, too. And clothing pins, also known as fibulas, are perfect for that goal!

Pinning a fibula: the magic behind it

This is basically a specific form of binding magic, where pins to keep clothing together gain a different meaning.

I talked about the magic of tying and girding in another blog post, and pinning your clothing together works along the same lines. The clothing pins that are used to keep fabric together, can be transformed into very powerful magical objects when they are used in ritual.

The analogy is of course very clear: a clothing pin holds two separate pieces of dress together, and so it would also be very useful in rituals to keep persons together.

When you fasten a fibula (see how to do that here), you actually have to carry out a number of steps: it does not close automatically by itself. And that is where the magic is, in those acts of deliberately fastening…clothing pins are the perfect object for love-magic!

Fibula magic in ancient times

The Romans already used their pins or fibulas (the Latin word is still in use to indicate these pins) as such. Some 2,000 years ago, you could buy an inscribed fibula to present to a lady: it would say something like ‘Hello, gorgeous!’, or, if you were bolder, ‘mix yourself with me’ – I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what they meant by that!

The point is that the fibula would work as a magical tool. [1] Once the lady in question would pin her clothes with it, it was hoped your relationship with her would immediately grow stronger.

Some 1,000 years earlier, three imported bronze fibulas were left behind in a shallow pit on the edge of a moor in The Netherlands. They were a gift to the gods, or whatever beings were believed to inhabit that place, and they were a precious gift, too.

Those fibulas were imported from Scandinavia and did not form part of traditional dress in what later would become The Netherlands: a treasure worthy of the gods. [2] You’ll see it in the collage below.

Gloomy photo of a swamp with a Bronze Age jewellery hoard

Fibula magic in North Africa

In a different world and a different time, fibulas have a very similar protective power. In Morocco, clothing pins are considered powerful because their sturdy pin has the power to harm the evil eye, a meaning also found widely in the rest of the Maghreb. [3]

Many shapes on fibulas are designed to attract good fortune and to keep evil at a distance, while their triangular form alludes to the powers of the number 3 (see more about the magic of numbers in this blog post). Fibulas are also the perfect piece of jewellery to attach amulet boxes to, which would be suspended from either the fibula itself or from the chain between them.

But here as well, their importance as something that holds to halves together, shines through.

The fibulas are part of the dowry, given to the bride by her husband and his family, and here the magic of pinning reinforces the bond between both the husband and wife and their respective families.

Adorning the bride with her jewellery, including fastening her fibula set, was part of the transformative magic in Libya, which would accompany the bride during her transition from unmarried girl to married woman. [4]

Belt buckle magic in Europe

And that power of fastening is found as a theme in other parts of the world, too.

Belt buckles function in much the same way: they, too, hold something together. As such, it became very popular as a form in European rings from the 17th century onwards. The belt buckle symbolized eternal love and loyalty – even beyond death, which is why you will also find it in mourning rings. Together with the shape of the ring itself as an endless cycle, the belt buckle firmly connects two halves for all eternity.

Pinning, fastening, closing: magic in adornment

So whether it is clothing pins or belt buckles: by fastening something, humans have tried to influence the natural course of events for millennia!

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References

[1] Peter Wells notes that fibulas in Europe’s prehistory, when they are depicted, are always shown ‘open’, and wonders if that has something to do with magic: nothing is definitive yet, nothing is sealed, the future is open. Wells 2012, How Ancient Europeans Saw the World, p.111.

[2] I wrote about these in Bos, J. & S. van Roode 2019. Landschap vol Leven. BLKVLD Uitgevers Publishers.

[3] Cynthia Becker, Amazigh Textiles and Dress in Morocco. Metaphors of Motherhood, in: African Arts vol 39 no. 6 (2006), p. 44

[4] Elena Schenone Alberini, Las mujeres Libias en la litteratura oral. Ritos de paso y roles de genero, in: Orafrica no 6, 2010.

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Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.