PRECOCIOUS METALS

Ancient symbols of protection and remembrance, amulets, and lockets continue to be de rigueur today.

Belief in the power of enchanted objects to ward off evil is an idea dating to prehistoric times. Since then, people from a multitude of cultures and religions have donned objects, both natural and human-made, thought to insulate them from bad luck. At a press conference this past March, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador held up a pair of amulets he said he carries for protection.

Evil eye, depicted on everything today from dorm room posters to posh jewelry, reigns supreme among primordial talismans. The need to thwart the threat posed by a malevolent gaze appears in the holy books of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions and countless folklore, helping to explain the enduring cross-cultural appeal of this symbol.

Amulets begat lockets, and one of the earliest examples is a locket ring worn by Queen Elizabeth I. On her finger for nearly three decades and only removed after her death in 1603, the bejeweled ring held a portrait of the queen c. 1575 on one side and her mother Anne Boleyn on the other.

Ashley Zhang oval diamond locket (ashleyzhangjewelry.com)

Donned by both men and women, some early lockets held perfumed fabric squares that one could use to counter a smelly situation. A few nefarious fashionistas were reputed to use their lockets to keep poison close at hand. It was during the Victorian era when lockets took the form most recognized today.

Nora Kogan Crete Pendant (norakogan.com)

Few among us haven't scoured a field at least once in search of a four-leaf-clover or relied on the good juju promised by a "lucky" piece of clothing to ensure victory, either as a competitor or fan. While we can't guarantee that our selection of lockets and amulets will ward off bad luck, we are confident that they'll garner admiring glances.