Jewelry That Protects You and Your Loved Ones: Amulets

The term “amulet” comes from the Latin word meaning “defense.” Indeed, amulets are a way to protect yourself that dates back from the earliest human beliefs. Pliny himself subscribed to the use of amulets and wrote about three common kinds used by the Romans of the classical age. A typical amulet of that era was a bit of parchment inscribed with protective words, rolled up in a metal cylinder, and worn around the neck. Evil eyes might be the most global of all amulets, the belief being that they could ward off a hex by simply reflecting it back to its origins. Phallic symbols have always been popular, too, coming in the shapes of horns, hands, and the phallus, of course. Some amulets were devoted to a specific god or goddess, and the wearer of such a piece would be protected by that divine entity.

The peoples of the Mesopotamian plain wore amulets. The Assyrians and Babylonians favored cylindrical seals encrusted with precious stones. They also loved animal talismans for the qualities associated with different animals: lions for courage, bulls for virility, and so on. The ancient Egyptians absolutely depended on their amulets for use in burial displays, and we can see many preserved in the cases of today’s museums. To make their amulets, the Egyptians employed a material called faience, a glazed composition of ground quartz that was typically blue green in color. Wealthier denizens of the Nile, royalty, and the priestly class wore precious and semiprecious gems and crystals as amulets. Lapis lazuli was perhaps the most revered of these and was worn in many shapes, the eye of Horus being the most significant religious icon, followed by the scarab symbolizing rebirth; the frog, symbolizing fertility; and the ankh, representing eternal life.

Organized religions appropriated the idea of amulets from pagan peoples, and it was very popular in medieval times to wear a tiny verse from the Torah, the Bible, or the Koran. Today, many a Catholic wears a medal honoring a given saint, such as Saint Christopher, the patron saint for travelers. Wiccans and modern pagans are great proponents of protective amulets, causing a resurgence in Celtic symbols and imagery.

Amulets are very easy to create and make nice gifts, as long as you believe your friends will truly benefit from them and are aware of the special qualities and powers they hold. To make one, select a crystal that is endowed with the desired energy. Hold it in the palm of your hand until it is warm from your touch. Then, visualize the specific power the stone is offering. If you’re giving your amulet to yourself, wear it as a pendant or tuck it into your pocket or purse for a “guardian to go.” Here is a list of stones from which to choose for the specific kind of safeguard you are in need of:

• Amethyst helps with sobriety by preventing inebriation.

• Aquamarine is good for attracting wisdom and overcoming a fear of water and drowning. It is also a guard against malevolent spirits.

• Bloodstone brings luck and is good to wear during travels.

• Carnelian is to the devil as garlic is to a vampire— keeps him away!

• Chrysolite drives away evil spirits and promotes peaceful sleep, especially if set in gold.

• Diamond in a necklace brings good fortune and lends force and valor. This dazzling stone should always touch the skin and works best when it is received as a gift.

• Emerald can cancel out the power of any magician!

• Jade offers protection, especially for children, and

  guards their health. It also creates prosperity.

• Jasper is reputed to be a defense against the venom of poisonous insects and snakes.

• Jet set in silver will help expel negativity.

• Moonstone is another boon to travelers and brings fortune and fame.

• Turquoise is believed to be great for a horse’s gait if affixed to the animal’s bridle.

Amulets: Protective Adornment

Amulets are protective adornments that date back to the beginning of human civilization. Evil eye amulets are perhaps the most globally popular, believed in most cultures to be capable of warding off a hex by reflecting it back to its origins. In some cultures, amulets were devoted to a god or goddess, and the wearer was protected by that divinity. Horns, hands, and the phallus have all been popular amulet shapes throughout history. We know from archaeological discoveries that the inhabitants of the ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia wore amulets. People in that time wore cylindrical seals covered in precious stones, as well as animal talismans to inherit the qualities associated with different animals.

Ancient Egyptian amulets are on display at museums everywhere. They used their amulets in elaborate burial practices. To make the charms, they used faience, which is glazed ground quartz that is usually colored blue-green. The Egyptian royals and priests also wore precious and semi- precious gems and crystals as amulets. The eye of Horus was the most significant, and usually this was made of lapis lazuli.

Other creations included the lapis lazuli scarab, symbolizing rebirth; the frog, symbolizing fertility; and the ankh, representing eternal life.

In the classical age, Romans wore amulets that were metal cylinders containing parchment inscribed with protective words.

The popularity of amulets extended beyond pagan people when organized religions embraced the idea. In medieval times, religious people would wear verses from the Torah, Bible, or Koran in amulets around their necks. Even today, many Catholics wear medals honoring saints. Celtic symbols and imagery pervade trendy shops as Wiccans and modern pagans have updated and re-popularized the wearing of amulets.

You can make your own amulets for yourself or friends. It is important that you believe your friends will truly benefit from amulets, and that they are aware of the special qualities and powers associated with these special charms. First, you must select a crystal associated with the desired energy. Hold the crystal in your hand until it gets warm, then visualize the specific power the stone is offering. If the amulet is for you, wear it as a pendant or tuck it in your pocket.

Stone: Amethyst
Powers: Prevents inebriation; helps with sobriety

Stone: Aquamarine
Powers: Guards against malevolent spirits; attracts wisdom; helps overcome fear of water/drowning

Stone: Bloodstone
Powers: Brings luck; wear while traveling

Stone: Carnelian
Powers: Keeps away evil sprits

Stone: Diamond
Powers: Brings good fortune; lends force to valor; should be worn touching the skin and works best as a gift 

Stone: Emerald
Powers: Cancels out magician’s power 

Stone: Jade
Powers: Guards health of and protects, especially children; creates prosperity

Stone: Jasper
Powers: Aids in defense against venom of poisonous insects and snakes

Stone: Jet
Powers: Helps expel negativity, especially when set in silver 

Stone: Moonstone
Powers: Brings fame and good fortune; wear while traveling

Stone: Turquoise
Powers: Good for a horse’s gait when affixed to a bridle

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Cover-All-The-Bases Crystal

If you are keeping yourself on a strict budget, get one piece of jewelry that will help you in nearly every area of your life—health, wealth, love, family, career, travel, friendship, and creativity. Go to the nearest Chinatown, where the prices are right, and get a bracelet featuring multiple hues of jade. One-stop shopping to a better life now!

Iron Pyrite

Fool’s gold! Some of my friends say I’m a magpie because I am so attracted to shiny objects. Let’s count fool’s gold among them. I don’t care if it is a hundred times less valuable than actual gold, it is very pleasing to my magpie eyes, and every time I see it, I want to possess it. You’ll be happy to know that I have restrained myself (often with the help of friends) many times. Iron pyrite is usually the bright metallic yellow of its namesake but can also come in bright green and coppery colors, too. Minted in North America and South America, it is a crystal that has been mineralized, forming shiny clusters.

Iron pyrite enables the skin to ward off contaminants. It is a plus for the respiratory system and is said to aid oxygen flow. It also has a strong connection to the iron levels in the blood and therefore benefits the circulatory system. Most people get relief from digestive aliments, too.

I treasure iron pyrite for its nearly unmatched support to personal mental workings. It boosts creativity, intelligence, logic, and the ability to communicate and soothes fretfulness and angst. These crystal clusters radiate stability. Native Americans revered iron pyrite as a protective amulet. This money-bringing and creativity-boosting stone is a must for the studios and workstations of artistry provides income.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Space Invaders

Do you have nosy neighbors or a nightmare roommate? Combat other people’s cluelessness with crystals! If you have problems with the people next door, place jet at your door or bury it by the fence. If you have an intrusive housemate or guest, place jet on the mantle or bookshelves and wear jet jewelry to take back your personal space straightaway.

Apatite

Here is a stone about which little is known. Apatite gets its name from the Greek word apat, meaning “deceit,” which is not so much a denigration of the stone itself but an expression that comes in a vast array of green, yellow, violet, white, and brown colors that can easily confuse it with other like-colored crystals. Adding to the confusion is its varying opacity, from completely clear to milky. This stone is common to the Americas, Norway, southern India, and Russia. Beneficial for hand-eye coordination and motor skills, apatite works best if you wear it in earrings or a thumb ring. If you are learning a new computer program or taking a painting or piano class, wear apatite to pick up the skills quickly.

Sapphire—Eye of Horus

The ancient Persians believed that Earth rested on a giant sapphire and the blue sky was a reflection of its color. The Greeks identified white sapphire with the god Apollo. They deemed this stone very important indeed: The oracles at Delphi used it to make their prophecies. The Egyptians designated sapphire as the eye of Horus. Star sapphire is especially prized, as the lines crossing the blue of the stone were believed to represent faith, hope, and charity.

Sapphire has been used as an eye cure for millennia. Medieval scientist Sir Albert the Great recorded incidents in which he had seen sapphire used with success as a healer, stating that it was necessary for the stone to be dipped in cold water prior to surgery and afterward, as well. A contemporary of Albert the Great’s by the name of von Helmont advocated using sapphire as a remedy for plague boils by rubbing this gem on the afflicted spots. He did offer the disclaimer that the condition could not be too advanced and explained the science behind his cure with the early theory of magnetism, in which a force in the sapphire pulled “the pestilential virulence and contagious poison from the infected part.”

Part of the myth and magic of sapphires is that they offer a great deal of myth and magic. Magicians and seers love this stone because it adds to their sensitivities and enables them to augur better. Historically, it was regarded as a gem of nobility, and any regal personage wearing this noble gem would be protected from harm, particularly the threat of poison. Another dubious legend is that Moses wrote the Ten Commandments on tables of sapphire, but it is more likely that they would have been carved into the soft and more readily available lapis lazuli. Even with God on his side, where would Moses have gotten sapphires of such massive size and flatness? Sapphire remained popular with the religious; one notable instance was when the twelfth-century bishop of Rennes commended this gem as an ecclesiastical ring due to its obvious connection to the heavens above. The holy— and legal—minded also favored this stone as it was believed to help counteract deception. Once, sapphires were believed to have gender. Dark sapphires were “male,” and light stones were “female.”

Chalcedony—Stone of Protection

Chalcedony, made of Earth’s ancient living things, has incredible powers of protection. In the eighteenth century, it was used to chase off bogeymen or anything that went bump in the night. Associated with the Holy Grail, chalcedony was a favorite material for chalices and was believed to provide protection even from poison.

Carnelian—Safety Stone

Said the ancient Egyptian religious leader Jafar, “He who wears carnelian will have whatever he desires.” Wearing Carnelian dates back to at least biblical times; there are several mentions of soldiers and priests wearing it.

Carnelian was a favorite in ancient times, when people believed that wearing the stone could protect them against injury from falling stones. As the saying goes, “No man who wore a carnelian was ever found in a collapsed house or beneath a fallen wall.” Other lore of this jewel includes the Armenian belief that an elixir of powdered carnelian would life any cloud to life and fill the heart with happiness. In olden days, carnelian was credited with being able to defy no less than the devil! So, people wore this lovely red-orange stone with the intention of protecting themselves from evil, oftentimes repeating this prayer:

“In the name of God the Just, the very Just!
I implore you, O God, King of the World,
God of the World,
Deliver us from the Devil
Who tries to do harm and evil to us
Through bad people and from the evil of the envious.”

Amethyst—The Rose de France

The Chinese have been wearing amethyst for more than 8,000 years. Tibetans consider this stone to be sacred to Buddha and make prayer beads from it. One lovely legend associated with the purple crystal is that it comes from Bacchus, the Greek god of wine. Mere mortals had angered this divinity, and he vowed a violent death—death by tiger—to the very next mortal he would encounter. A pretty girl by the name of Amethyst was en route to worship at the temple of Diana. The goddess Diana protected Amethyst by turning her into clear crystal quartz so she could not be torn apart by the ravaging tiger. Bacchus regretted his actions and anointed Amethyst with his sacred wine. However, he didn’t pour enough to cover here entirely, leaving her legs without color. Thus, amethyst is usually uneven in its purple color. The fact that Amethyst was anointed with wine also relates to the healing power of this stone to help with sobriety. The Greek word amethystos means “without wine.” In the Victorian era, a paler amethyst was called Rose de France and was a favorite stone in jewelry. The Victorians sometimes left amethysts out in the sun to fade them. Nowadays, the darker purple stones are considered much more valuable.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Crystal Bliss

If you want pleasant and divinely restful sleep and dreams, place these crystals under your mattress: moonstone, tiger’s-eye, and turquoise.

Amulets

The term “amulet” comes from the Latin word meaning “defense.” Indeed, amulets are a way to protect yourself that dates back from the earliest human beliefs. Pliny himself subscribed to the use of amulets and wrote about three common kinds used by the Romans of the classical age. A typical amulet of that era was a bit of parchment inscribed with protective words, rolled up in a metal cylinder, and worn around the neck. Evil eyes might be the most global of all amulets, the belief being that they could ward off a hex by simply reflecting it back to its origins. Phallic symbols have always been popular, too, coming in the shapes of horns, hands, and the phallus, of course. Some amulets were devoted to a specific god or goddess, and the wearer of such a piece would be protected by that divine entity.The peoples of the Mesopotamian plain wore amulets. The Assyrians and Babylonians favored cylindrical seals encrusted with precious stones. They also loved animal talismans for the qualities associated with different animals: lions for courage, bulls for virility, and so on. The ancient Egyptians absolutely depended on their amulets for use in burial displays, and we can see many preserved in the cases of today’s museums.

To make their amulets, the Egyptians employed a material called faience, a glazed composition of ground quartz that was typically blue green in color. Wealthier denizens of the Nile, royalty, and the priestly class wore precious and semiprecious gems and crystals as amulets. Lapis lazuli was perhaps the most revered of these and was worn in many shapes, the eye of Horus being the most significant religious icon, followed by the scarab symbolizing rebirth; the frog, symbolizing fertility; and the ankh, representing eternal life.

Organized religions appropriated the idea of amulets from pagan peoples, and it was very popular in medieval times to wear a tiny verse from the Torah, the Bible, or the Koran. Today, many a Catholic wears a medal honoring a given saint, such as Saint Christopher, the patron saint for travelers. Wiccans and modern pagans are great proponents of protective amulets, causing a resurgence in Celtic symbols and imagery.

Amulets are very easy to create and make nice gifts, as long as you believe your friends will truly benefit from them and are aware of the special qualities and powers they hold. To make one, select a crystal that is endowed with the desired energy. Hold it in the palm of your hand until it is warm from your touch. Then, visualize the specific power the stone is offering. If you’re giving your amulet to yourself, wear it as a pendant or tuck it into your pocket or purse for a “guardian to go.” Here is a list of stones from which to choose for the specific kind of safeguard you are in need of:

Amethyst helps with sobriety by preventing inebriation

Aquamarine is good for attracting wisdom and overcoming a fear of water and drowning. It is also a guard against malevolent spirits.

Bloodstone brings luck and is good to wear during travels.

Carnelian is to the devil as garlic is to a vampire—keeps him away!

Chrysolite drives away evil spirits and promotes peaceful sleep, especially if set in gold.

Diamond in a necklace brings good fortune and lends force and valor. This dazzling stone should always touch the skin and works best when it is received as a gift.

Emerald can cancel out the power of any magician!

Jade offers protection, especially for children, and guards their health. It also creates prosperity.

Jasper is reputed to be a defense against the venom of poisonous insects and snakes.

Jet set in silver will help expel negativity

Moonstone is another boon to travelers and brings fortune and fame

Turquoise is believed to be great for a horse’s gait if affixed to the animal’s bridle

Jewels of Wisdom

• * Agate worn as an amulet around your neck will ensure that you speak only your truth. It can also attract favors from powerful people!

• *  A black agate on a short chain or in a ring will ensure success in business and athletics.

• *  If you wear moss agate while gardening, you will have a healthy harvest.

• *  If you wear amazonite while gambling, you will have great luck.

• *  Amber will attract love into your life and increase sexual pleasure if you wear it during lovemaking.

• *  If a man wears an amethyst, the stone will draw a good woman to him.

• *  Apache tear in a pendant will protect a woman in her pregnancy.

• *  Frog-shaped jewelry is the ultimate traveler’s amulet; pilots, stewards, sailors, and anyone who frequently travels across water should wear aquamarine in frog-shaped jewelry for enhanced safety and protection from drowning.

• *  Wear bloodstone in court for victory in legal matters.

• *  Carnelian jewelry will keep you from being struck by lightning.

• *  Cat’s-eye worn as a ring will retain your youthful beauty and lift any depression.

• *  Ladies, coral earrings will attract men into your life. Pacific Islanders believe this “nature’s jewel” contains the very essence of life.

• *  A diamond with a six-sided cut will offer you great protection; set in platinum, it will ensure victory in any conflict.

• *  Jade carved into the shape of a butterfly will attract love into your life.

• *  Lapis lazuli beads strung on gold wire will offer health, growth, and protection.

• *  A diamond set in onyx will overcome sexual temptation and incite the loyalty of a partner.

• *  Opal earrings will awaken your psychic powers.

• *  A red pearl ring or pendant will heighten intelligence.

• *  A dark peridot ring will bring you more money and raise your spirits, allaying any melancholy.

• *  A geode as jewelry will attract love and help a woman avoid miscarriage.

Seven Sacred Stones Bracelet

Take any silver chain-link bracelet and add “charm” to it! Bracelets act as protection jewelry, and, well, they look simply divine on our delicate wrists, do they not? Of late, the trend has been to layer bracelets, but with gem magic, there’s a danger that jeweled pieces worn together could cancel each other out because they have conflicting energies. So, I’m going to recommend that you wear this bracelet alone, without other magical wrist wear.

To make this piece, you’ll need seven stones on small pendent settings, a silver chain-link bracelet, seven jump rings, and pliers. Plain silver chain-link bracelets are easy to obtain at any jewelry department or store, from Target to Tiffany. Jump rings, which have an opening through which you can slide a pendant and then close up with small chain-nose pliers, are readily available at any craft or jewelry store.

Before you choose your seven stones, decide what energy enhancement you desire. If you want lots of energy and zest, choose red jasper or pink clamshell. If you want to be uplifted, try jade. To become wiser, pick sapphire. To stay safe while traveling, pick dendritic agate. To remain calm and overcome stress, choose blue lace agate. For more mental clarity, choose malachite. For a self- esteem boost, try rhodonite.

Once you have pursued all the gem and crystal descriptions in this book, you can and should experiment with all manner of combinations. But I highly recommend the Seven Sacred Stones Bracelet with the following very beneficial stones and energies:

Citrine for a better ability to communicate

Lace Agate for happiness with your job

Lapis Lazuli for mental brilliance

Moonstone for self-love and self-expression

Red coral for good health and physical strength

Rose Quartz or Opal to make you appealing to others

Turquoise for calmness and protection from the earth

Friends of mine have reported wonderful results with this banishing and boosting bracelet. Where else can you find jewelry that will make you feel good about yourself, protect you from harm, and help you to look even prettier? You have to make it! You can find these pendant-set stones in any jewelry or New Age store. The metaphysical stores have the best selection, however.

To begin, place the stones on your altar or in front of a candle for six days and six nights. Write on a piece of paper or parchment what you desire from each stone. While you light the candle each night, think about and meditate upon all the wonderful things you want in your life. On the seventh day, loop each pendant stone onto your bracelet with even spacing. Burn the parchment with the candle flame and then put your bracelet on and jingle it seven times. From now on, every time you hear the seven sacred stones jingle on your wrist, think about the qualities the stones are bringing you and you’ll refresh the crystal magic.

Twinkle-Star Toe Ring

Every step you take will be supernatural when you wear your Twinkle-Star Toe Ring! To make this ring, you’ll need forty-four tiny amethyst beads, 18 inches of elastic thread, two sewing needles or two wire thread needles, and glue. Once you get the knack of the projects, you can try it again and vary the number and type of crystal beads.

Begin by blessing the beads on your altar. Next, thread the needles onto each end of the elastic thread and then string four beads to the center of the elastic. Thread the left needle through the last bead on the right-hand side. Pull it tight, forming a diamond shape. Next, string one bead on the left thread end and two beads on the right. Thread the left needle through the last bead on the right. Pull it tight. Repeat until all the beads are used. In order to close the ring, thread the left needle through the end bead of the first diamond, instead of the last bead on the right. Pull tight, tie the ring off with a double knot, and place a drop of glue on the knot.

Notice how everyone is looking at you as you sparkle by? You are irresistible!

Bracelets

I love bracelets and am wearing an aventurine cuff right now. The wrists are perfect pulse points. Organic gems, such as coral and abalone, are very helpful for energy flow and release. Turquoise is great for stabilizing and calming you physically.

Ancient cultures loved to wear armbands and cuffs, and those have gone out of style except among the most dramatic of fashionistas. Perhaps we should try to bring this style back because gem and crystal armbands are very good for body and soul.

Brooches

Brooches symbolize virginity, faithfulness, and protection. A diamond-studded brooch is a double symbol of love and safeguarding.

Brooches were the costume jewelry of the medieval Irish, who decorated themselves with gems and valuable stones to show they were part of the aspiring warrior caste.

Rings

Rings represent eternity, unity, reincarnation, safety, union, power, and energy. They symbolize the eternity of the circle shape—the universe. Wearing rings was believed to help ward off any kind of malevolence through their continuity—nothing could get in. A ring binds you with the energy of the stone. In dream psychology, a ring represents the desire for reconciliation of the different parts of your being and personality; it shows you want to be an integrated whole, which is the first step in making it happen. If you want to deepen a friendship, exchange amber rings with your friend to bind you together forever. Why do you think Native Americans wear turquoise rings? They know it is a guardian stone; its power is doubled when it is in a ring.

When wearing a ring, be sure the bottom side of the stone is open to allow greater connection between the stone and your skin. On your left hand, wear ring gems that awaken and release emotions, and on your right hand, wear stones that will enhance your career and your personal goals in life. I know that thumb rings have become a big trend, but you should know that wearing them could block the energy of the thumbs or, even worse, bring out egotism and selfishness.

Your index fingers are indicators of achievement, and wearing the proper gem on that finger can really aid you in striving for your dreams. For wisdom, wear lapis lazuli. For greater love of yourself and others, try pearl, moonstone, or garnet. For success, wear carnelian. For a quiet mind and greater calm, wear sodalite chrysocolla, or turquoise.

Your middle fingers are about ideas and insight as well as intuition; the left hand represents the receiving of ideas, and the right hand represents action and achievement in your life. Wear stones on the middle finger only when you want to get a lot of psychic input from the world around you. For greater sensitivity and creativity, wear amethyst. To awaken your inner and outer beauty, wear ruby. To access your higher good and know your life purpose, wear sapphire or quartz crystal.

The ring finger is about creativity, and, of course, the ring finger on the left hand is your love center and a direct connection to your heart. For deep and loyal ties of love, wear diamond. To express your love, wear moonstone. To inspire creativity, wear emerald. To meet creativity goals, wear tiger’s-eye or cat’s-eye. For practicality in your work and art, wear turquoise. For service to your community and the world, wear opal. For serenity both within and without, wear ruby.

Pinkie fingers represent change. The right gem on your little finger can help you find and pursue new opportunities and change the direction of your whole life. This is a lot of power in one little ring! For better organizational habits, wear pearl. For unwinding and simplifying, wear turquoise. To bring new energy and new prospects, wear aventurine.

Earrings Magic

You can wear one gold earring and one silver earring to rid yourself of the discomfort of a headache. Earrings were once worn to guard ears from potential disease and from hearing bad news. They were also believed to strengthen weak eyes, especially if set with emeralds. Earrings help to balance both hemispheres of the brain and can stabilize the throat chakra. The earlobes are sensory centers on the body and usually benefit from the stimulation of a gem or crystal. Jade and tiger’s-eye are great for reviving and refreshing. You will generally feel quite good with these two earring choices. Sapphires will bring you greater wisdom. However, lapis lazuli and opal can be overstimulating as earrings, so watch carefully and see how your body reacts to them. Some people feel light- headed with these two stones placed so high on the body. Malachite can be too spiritually stimulating as earrings; don’t wear them unless you want to be in a soulful or dreamy reverie. Go for garnet, as garnet earrings will enhance your popularity. And here is a tip that might soon cause a stampede to the jewelry shop: Rose quartz is wonderful for the skin and can even slow aging!

Necklaces, Pendants, and Chokers

Perhaps you want to be a better communicator or to sing or simply to express yourself more freely. A blocked throat chakra can result in your feelings and ideas being blocked. So, in this case, you will want to focus on opening up the throat chakra. A necklace or choker can serve this purpose. A strand of pearls not only looks timelessly elegant but also boosts your self-esteem and sociability. The best metals for this use are silver, copper, and gold. You will want to avoid aluminum entirely because it is considered to be a health risk.