magic of the skies

Crescent moon and star symbolism in jewellery

Updated November 21, 2025

The image of the crescent with one or a few stars is undoubtedly one of the most iconic visual elements of North Africa and South West Asia. It is present on banners, but also on jewellery: rings with this very same image have been around in the region for at least 2,000 years. What is the meaning of the crescent and star symbol?

When we look at jewellery, we see that not only amulets in the shape of crescents, but also depictions of stars and even the name of some jewellery items testify to the importance of the skies in both everyday life and magical tradition. In this post, I explore the historical layers of meaning behind the crescent and star motif in traditional jewellery.

The meaning of sun and moon in Middle Eastern jewellery

Both sun and moon appear often in Middle Eastern jewellery, because they were attributed with particular capacities. These were based on their properties.

Following analogous magic, the power of the warm life-giving rays of the sun was transferred to a person by wearing jewellery that carried an image of the sun. An example is the silver bracelet from Siwa shown above (click the image to enlarge it and see its details): this carries a sunburst morif on its central panel.

Another way of wearing the powers of the sun is in jewellery of materials that mimicked the colour of the sun, like gold or amber.

(off topic: amber has many other magical capacities, too, some of which may not be what you’d expect… click here to see the powers of amber as an amulet.)

The moon cycle was believed to be related to the female cycle, both of them being 28 days, and thus the imagery of the waxing moon carried notions of fertility and growth.

Silver, the colour associated with the moon, by analogy also held these same capacities. The combination of both silver and gold in a bracelet type from Morocco (shown above, click to enlarge the photo) reflects these ties: it is called ‘sun and moon’.

Lunar calendars and timekeeping: why the crescent matters

When it comes to jewellery, moon imagery takes precedence over that of the sun. One of the most obvious reasons for this is that the majority of North Africa and South West Asia makes use of a lunar calendar, and has done so for millennia. This is literally the way that people kept track of time.

In a lunar calendar, each month starts with the appearance of the new moon: the crescent marks a new beginning. This significance of the lunar calendar is also reflected in jewellery. It was a time-marker long before it became a symbol of Islam.

One type of pendant with a crescent moon and a star is called Hilal as-Shawwal. It visualizes the crescent moon that officially ends the month of Ramadan and ushers in the following month of Shawwal. This piece of jewellery is related to religious celebrations.

The crescent moon itself is often featured in jewellery. It refers to the moon as symbol of fertility, but also to  the importance of the lunar calendar.

Which star with the crescent? Venus, Sirius and the night sky in jewellery

With the crescent, often one or multiple stars are depicted. I believe this to refer not to one particular star: in the region, several bright stars are considered important for the definition of the agricultural calendar. The rising and setting of these stars marks the start of rain or drought seasons, and the beginning of sowing, planting and harvesting.

The most well-known of these is of course the planet Venus (technically not a star), which is clearly visible at dusk and dawn.

Another important bright star is Sirius. What is significant about Sirius? Already in ancient Egypt, the moment when Sirius was first visible on the eastern horizon just before sunrise in August marked the start of the inundation season. This was the season in which the Nile would flood, leaving rich, fertile soil behind. In Yemen, Sirius is an indicator of the hot dry season. [1]

The appearance at sunrise of the bright star Canopus, called Suhayl in Arabic, halfway October marked the start of the rainy season after summer and the start of dropping temperatures. [2] So, you see there is more to the age old image of crescent moon and stars than just a rendering of the sky: observing the stars was essential for everyday life.

The Seven Sisters: the Pleiades as seasonal signs and sky-marks 

A star cluster that is of particular importance in jewellery is the Pleiades. The meaning of the Pleiades is their importance for early agriculture.

This group of stars is called al-Thurayya in Arabic and its appearance in the sky, related to the path of the moon, formed a clock for the passing of the seasons. They were very important for farmers: these would know when to sew or harvest by keeping track of the Pleiades.

One example is date farming, practised all over North Africa. When the Pleiades rise at sunrise on the eastern horizon, halfway May, the date trees start forming their green date buds. They are ripe when Sirius appears on the eastern horizon just before sunrise, in early August. [3]

Another example is the planting of winter grains, in Southwest Asia. When Pleiades rise in late October on the western horizon, at dusk, this is the best time to plant the winter grains. That is roughly two weeks after Suhayl had announced the start of the rainy season. When a farmer had seen Suhayl appear, he would wait for the Pleiades to follow: two weeks of rain would have made the soil saturated enough to receive the winter grains. [4]

It should therefore not be surprising to see this star cluster in jewellery. You will recognize it as a series of seven dots, grouped closely together in a circle, and often represented close to the sun or the moon. An example is in the gallery above: click to see all its detail!

Astrology and jewellery: the night sky as motif

This importance of stars in everyday life is reflected in the connection between the celestial and the terrestrial. Like astrology is used to predict the future or read one’s fortune, wearing jewellery with star and crescent symbolism was meaningful, too.

Bedouin in the Sinai and southern Palestine believed that every person had a corresponding star in the sky that exerted influence on that person’s fate. When a baby was sickly, this was expressed by saying that its ‘star is weak’. [5]

The rainy season that the Pleiades announce by their rising, and which brings prosperity for crops, makes this star cluster very auspicious. From this point of view, their appearance on jewellery also transfers some of that prosperity to the wearer.

Astrology and amulets in the Middle East and North Africa

The lunar calendar, in combination with the appearance of stars and planets such as discussed here, also was very important in the creation of amulets.

Just like the sun follows its path across the zodiac, the moon has its own path and also its own zodiac. There are 28 stops on its path, in which the moon stays for about two weeks. Each stop is governed by a star or constellation. Based on that combination of stars and zodiac, each stop or station was believed to have positive or negative energy, and was associated with its own fragrance or bukhūr.

Just one example to show you how that works: the Pleiades are housed in the third house, and associated with bukhūr of flax seed. When the moon traveled through this section of the sky, this was seen as an excellent time to get together (as the Pleiades form a cluster of several stars), for travel and to bring matters to the attention of higher-ups. [6]

Crescent and stars in jewellery: a tradition of millennia

If all this talk of stars, star clusters and lunar trajectories confuses you, that’s perectly ok! It is complicated: studying the heavens is both an art and a science with intricate calculations and observations. A glimpse of this world is visible in jewellery.

What I wanted to show you very briefly in this post is that the depiction of the moon and stars in jewellery and beyond is not just ornamental or a simple rendering of the celestial bodies: there is an entire world, both practical and spiritual, behind these.

Pendants, rings, necklaces and other forms of jewellery form a material expression of both practical and magical knowledge of the heavens that is slowly fading.

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Where can I learn more about astrology and amulets in the Middle East?

More on the magical background of jewellery? Download your free e-book here, read more articles, or jump right in and enjoy the e-course!

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References

[1] Varisco D.M. 1993. The agricultural marker stars in Yemeni folklore, in: Asian Folklore Studies 52, pp. 110-142.

[2] Bailey, C. 1974. Bedouin Star-Lore in Sinai and the Negev, in: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and Asian Studies Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 580-596.

[3] idem, p. 587.

[4] idem, p. 590.

[5] Abu-Rabia, A. & N. Khalil 2012. Mourning Palestine. Death and Grief Rituals; in: Anthropology of the Middle East Vol. 7. No. 2, 1-18, pp. 12-13.

[6] Varisco, D.M. 2017. Illuminating the lunar mansions (manāzil al-qamar) in Shams al-ma’ārif, in: Arabica 64, pp. 487-530, p. 497, 503.

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