Antique Italian Jewelry
Q.ever notice how somethings will suddenly just keep turning up in your life? i found a nifty little amulet in an antique shop in the mall today, and it seems to be one of them. some time ago i had been doing research on the evil eye, at suggestion of a greek friend of mine. i came across (i believe it was in doreen valiente's _abc of witchcraft_) a reference to a certain gesture, placing the thumb between the first two fingers of the hand and making a fist. included was a photograph of an strega amulet made to look like a hand in the same gesture. i'd heard of the gesture before, but had never seen the amulet. months later i was browsing through the miller's occult catalog, when i came across a similar amulet, gold-plated. the catalog called it an "azabache hand". i don't know what that means, but the next week i found yet another amulet in my local botanica. this one was pewter, and the paper it was pagkaged with called it "a figa". the santera said it was brazillian, and a very popular amulet throughout south america. the information sheet was all in spanish. i don't speak spanish, but my partner lived for 10 years in puerto rico, so i had him translate it for me. he wasn't sure what "a figa" meant (it had been awhile since he'd used the language) but he said the paper basically described it as a sort of power and good luck charm. it went on to say that the amulet was activated by pointing it towards the light (suresh wasn't sure whether this meant sun or moonlight, or if an artificial light source could also be used) and saying a certain prayer to the amulet. then, whenever you wanted something, or needed luck, you were to rub the amulet and make a wish. i had never heard of this use of the hand gesture before, and the sheet said nothing about the evil eye. this afternoon i was browsing in an antique and junk shop in midtown mall, when i came across yet another one of these amulets - same gesture. it was only $2, so i bought it. this one is carved of a rich brown wood - i'm not sure what kind. mahogany maybe? it's too dark for sandalwood, and has no odor. it has a thin band of gold around the wrist of the hand, like a bracelet. it's been worn smooth, as if it's been rubbed a lot. what i found curious about this one was that it came on a chain with another amulet, made of extremely cheap metal, showing a haloed figure with a staff - i assume that's probably supposed to be jesus - carrying a smaller figure over water. on the other side - and i found this to be a little wierd, considering the religious symbolism on the front - was a couple of figures playing football! could this amulet have been used as a good luck charm for betting on or playing in football games? i asked the shop owner about it; she had no idea what it was, and had never heard of "a figa" or an "azabache hand". until now, every reference i've found regarding this gesture has been about the evil eye - even my greek friend was familiar with that, and used it. except for the picture in the book, i'd never seen one of these amulets until now. can anybody tell me more about it? why is it used against the evil eye in some places, and for good luck in others? i've found it in three different materials or finishes - is there one that's traditional, or does it matter? and just what _is_ the significance of that gesture anyway - what is the story behind the act of placing one's thumb between the first 2 fingers and making a fist? where did it originate? the santera swore up and down it was brazillian, but everything i'd read so far suggested a european origin, either gypsy or strega. what does that gesture have to do with the evil eye, or good luck? and why would someone pair it with a football charm? further more, how come i've been practicing the occult arts for 8-10 years, and never heard of this thing until now? i'm just burning up with curiosity
A.I have seen this listed as a new paperback reprint somewhere in the $10.00 to $15.00 range. There was a hardback reprint edition in the 1960s which now runs around $30.00 to $40.00 in the used book market. The original edition, which is not all that common, fetches about $85.00 to $100.00 now. I prefer it because the half-tones of the amulets, which were not all that clear and crisp in the original, are quite degenerated in all of the reprint editions. I mean, you can make out the amulets in the reprint editions, but the original is cleaner on the illustrations, that's all. I have a few amulets of coral, although not a mano fico, and they are very, very powerful. We sell Catholic holy cards (small pictures of saints, often with a prayer on the back) and Saint Christopher is one of the most popular. On the back is the "Motorist's Prayer," dating from the 1920s or 30s, seemingly to be spoken by a professional chauffeur or taxi driver, asking that he carry his passengers safely and not harm any pedestrians as he drives. It's charming, and, at 80 cents per card, a nice little item to have in the car. Many Italian-Americans stick them up in the windshield visor, out of sight most of the time, but visible when the visor comes down and one is hazardously driving into the sun. As a collector of amulets (and a fellow Taurus), i too am as fascinated by the presumed history of individual amulets as i am by their symbolism in general. You found an unusual one there. I LOVE those kinds of great finds. Speaking of really strange scores -- about a year ago i found a gross red plastic mano cornuta key ring at the local Goodwill store. It was obviously made in imitation of red blood coral, but was so large and ... well, GROSS, that it made me laugh, so i paid 95 cents for it and hung it in our car, which is decorated inside and out with lucky charms and religious figurines from various cultures. Anyway, about three days ago, we were at the Goodwill again, dropping off extra stuff, and i popped in to take a look and damned if there wasn't a matching giant red plastic corno key ring, also 95 cents! I was absolutely tripped out -- it was so ... totally HUGE and GROSS! Of course i bought it, and it is now in the car too! So what distributor sold these items into the town of Santa Rosa, and how did both of them end up at the Goodwill a year apart, just when i went in to look? The amulet you are looking for is the Cimaruta (Sprig of Rue). Rue is an herb, Ruta graveolens, called Ruta in Italian and Ruda in Spanish, which is highly protective against the evil eye. But the Cimaruta is not simply a piece of jewelry in the form of a sprig of rue -- it is a highly stylized amulet, always cast of silver (there's that lunar-liquid reference again) that bears tiny representations of a number of other apotropaic chams on it, sort of like a little decorated Christmas tree, if you get the picture. There are many artistic variants of the Cimaruta, and mine has the following on it:
Other Questions :
Costume Jewelry Pearl
I am still trying to help a friend with her Grandmother's estate. Most of the big stuff has been sold or stored, and now we are down to the smaller items. She had alot of costume jewelry. This is an "Original by Robert", it has the little ...
Baby Charm Jewelry
what jewelry do you wear or covet that you wouldn't have chosen yourself but wear for sentimental reasons?I have two. My mother had lots of precious jewelry but most of it sits in a safety deposit box because it doesn't go with my more casual s...
China Fashion Jewelry
I got married last September 21st and have no idea what the "theme" (if you will) of the 1st Anniversary is? Paper? Wood? Plastic? (seems appropriate right now) Chinette? Cubic Zirconia? For that matter, where do I find out what...
Adjustable Toe Ring, Stupid Toe Ring question ?
I just went to toejam.net and was looking at their toe rings. Where on your toe are you supposed to wear the ring--near the base of your toe or in the middle where the joint is??I kept trying to keep mine pushed back near the base of my toe but f...
Most affordable diamond solitaire earrings?
this is something I've wanted for a really long time... and now I'm thinking of finding a pair to aim for, and start saving... Where can one get an okay pair, maybe not the pair to satiate your whole life's need for diamond earrings, j...