Trinket #16 - Lost, Found, and the Evil Eye

About ten years ago, Paul and I had a crafty neighbor in our old apartment building who gave us lots of overflow supplies when she moved out. We are still using beads and other miscellaneous jewelry findings from that generous gift to this very day. In fact, our daughter is right now rummaging through the "junk box" for little goodies to use in her own jewelry designs!

One little tidbit stood out above the rest in the lot - this odd hand charm. At first glance, it looks similar to the fist made popular by the Black Panthers, but it is actually an old Italian Figa pendant to ward off Malocchio, or the Evil Eye. Charms and talismans thought to block the Evil Eye are common in most cultures around the world, but the Figa is certainly one of the most interesting.

I tucked this piece away from the rest, but it was misplaced since we moved house back in 2002. In a strange moment of clarity about a week ago, I "knew" exactly where it was and retrieved it. I decided to use it in today's trinket, a piece that I will probably get a lot of wear from, along with more snowflake obsidian to boost its negativity-repelling juju. Also in the mix as part of this necklace are silver wire and silver seed beads - my favorites!