The Evil Eye Necklace in History
Spotlight: Kyanite Gemstone

Kyanite is a stone most people aren't familiar with, and that's a shame, really, because it's quite a lovely one to add to your collection. Not to be confused with Kryptonite, Superman’s greatest weakness, the best Kyanite is a deep blue hue, reminiscent of the Mediterranean Sea, although it comes in lighter blues as well and you might see some greens here and there, and recently a pocket of orange was found in Tanzania.

As I said though, the best remains that luscious bottle blue. Kyanite also has a fibrous quality to it, and as a result is harder crossways than it is longways on the crystal. The lower hardness is around 4.5 - 5 on the Mohs, so while not great for rings or bracelets, it's a fantastic stone to set in earrings and necklaces (your neck and ears just don't suffer the same daily use and abuse). That fibrous look also grants Kyanite another gorgeous quality: chatoyancy, or the Cat’s Eye effect.

Symbols of Protection - The Evil Eye

Many jewelry designers have an evil eye design in their collection and I am no exception. I hand carved this 14k gold evil eye necklace from wax and then used the ancient technique of lost wax casting to produce the pendant in 14k gold. The gorgeous Kyanite cabochon was hand cut to fit the 14k yellow gold evil eye pendant perfectly. I would love to make you a custom evil eye pendant with any metal or gemstone you prefer. 

Handcrafted 14k Gold Evil Eye Necklace by Jane Bartel Jewelry

So, we have a deep blue stone that can show cat’s eyes. Combined, this makes Kyanite a perfect choice for use in the Evil Eye Necklace. You've all seen these talismans before. The one you're probably most familiar with is called the nazar, the concentric rings of blue and white resembling an eye and is well known throughout Turkey and Mediterranean cultures in general. The concept of the ‘protective eye’, though, is ancient. Like, nearly prehistoric ancient. 3,300 B.C.E Mesopotamia ancient. Egypt didn't even have proper pharaohs yet.

The talisman is colloquially called the Evil Eye nowadays, but it's not actually evil. The Eye is worn to ward off the malevolent gaze of those who would do you or your family harm. It's curse prevention. It is a symbol of protection. There are versions of the concept from dozens of different cultures all over the world. There were a few other talismans that were popular over the millennia, but it's probably not too hard to see why the Roman phallic charms fell out of style, for example. Careful googling that term, by the way, if you've never seen it before.

It makes some logical sense to have the protection take the shape of an eye. Creepy stranger glaring at you, about to cast a curse? Turn it right back around on them with your own shockingly blue Evil Eye. It acts like a mirror, reflecting back at the sender. Why blue? Well, popping back down to those Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures where the Evil Eye necklace is so commonplace, it was rare, especially back in ‘ye olden times’ to see fair eyed people, those with green or, specifically, blue eyes. Such people were thought to have greater power, so you’d need a similarly colored charm for appropriate protection. Again, kind of makes sense. We’ve all got that one friend or acquaintance with those ridiculously piercing icy blue eyes. You know, the ones that root you to the spot?

Evil eye discs were hung on a snowy tree amid the famous volcanic rock formations of Cappadocia a region in Turkey

So, Evil Eyes are blue, and a 14k gold evil eye necklace with a blue kyanite is a great choice to ward off all that negativity. Because of that Cat’s Eye, it will really seem like it's staring back at whoever's trying to mess with you. Protect yourself! 

Please visit my online shop Jane Bartel Jewelryand let's connect on Instagram @janebarteljewelry where you can see my latest creations.