I'm sure you must have noticed the prominence of the eye in everything from fashion to art to culture! The idea of the evil eye goes back centuries and using it as jewelry design goes as far back as 1250BC!
The protective symbol of the eye spans countries and religion everywhere and 40% of the world's population actually believe in the evil eye. Although name, concept and its significance vary widely among different cultures.
In Egypt, the eye was a powerful symbol. It was used to ward off evil, as Ancient Egyptians believed the eye reflected the evil back onto the evil-doer. Sailors would paint the eye on their ships in the hope that it would protect them during their voyages.
In India, their evil eye is called "nazar", A charm bracelet, tattoo or other object can be used to warded them away. Babies and newborn infants will usually have their eye adorned with kajal, or eyeliner. This would be black, as it is believed in India that black wards off the evil eye or any evil auras
In Turkey & Greece, they believe that having an eye amulet/talisman protects its owner from the bad energies and malevolent gazes by absorbing them.
There are many more countries but i don't want to bore you as they are so similar!
Overall, the evil eye is know to be a "look" or a "stare" with the power of directing bad luck to you from someone who is highly envious of you and what you have.
It is important to note that the evil eye stems from admiration that has turned toxic/negative and not necessarily from someone who is just simply wishing you ill (as most would assume)
Evil eye jewelry is worn to reflect the power of such "bad look/stare" and protect you from them. It is known popularly today as a symbol of protection against bad luck
Apart from traditions, tales and history, evil eye has also been adapted by pop culture to depict powerful villains to bring across the feeling of fear and power.
From Sauron's eye located in a tower northwest of Mordor, near Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings (LOTR) to Big Brother's eye in George Orwell's Dystopian novel - 1984.
Fashion has also adopted the power of the eye to become the icon of their brands.
From Influencer Chiara Ferragini's fashion brand logo to Kenzo's iconic eye motifs on T-shirts. Using these visuals on their brand and products, it creates the sense of protection in a fun and trendy way.
The evil eye is one of the most interesting icon out there as they have a consistent history across numerous countries around the world. And how they have transformed from traditions into modern world culture.
When reading up on all the different stories and history, what's interesting that came up was that since the Evil eye mostly stems from admiration, it is technically possible to be the reason for the evil eye, and it is important to stay humble in order to reduce the possibility of people becoming highly envious and sending evil stares over. Apart from protection, it has also become a way of thinking in their daily life for some others.
Whether you believe the stories or not, we can all agree that the Evil Eye is a classic icon that will stay on for years to come. We hope that by wearing pieces from our evil eye collection, it not only helps to protect us but helps to remind us to stay humble and respectful to others.
Click here to view our evil eye collection in the shop