If you like wearing jewelry, or if you're planning to purchase a piece of jewelry for someone special, you may be looking for something with deeper meaning than most items you find on the shelves today. While crosses, zodiac signs, and the like are always popular, sometimes it's nice to find jewelry with more unusual symbolism. Here are four jewelry symbols you can look for the next time you go shopping.
Buddhist Love Knot
The Buddhist love knot is an important symbol that has moved from classic Tibetan Buddhist imagery to mainstream jewelry making. The Buddhist love knot is a complex overlapping of loops that usually has no beginning or end, thereby symbolizing infinity. This image can also refer to
- the linking of all your ancestors in your family tree
- the interconnectedness of all things in the universe
- the weaving of spiritual and secular elements in life
- the wisdom of Buddha
You can find Buddhist love knots in a variety of media. This knot can be tied in a leather or silk string and worn around the neck or wrist. It can also be cast in silver, gold, and other metals and is a wonderful symbol for a wedding band tying two individuals together for life.
Look for Buddhist knot jewelry in places that sell Asian jewelry and art or shops specializing in Eastern spiritual items.
Celtic Love Knot
Most folks are familiar with the classic shamrock image or the claddagh ring from Ireland, but you may not have seen a Celtic knot. Also originating in Ireland, this knot is similar to a Buddhist knot, in that it is an infinite or "pure" knot, with no beginning or end.
Celtic love knots aren't just for romantic partners. This image symbolized the connection between life on earth and life in the hereafter to the early Celts, so it's appropriate for anyone for whom spirituality is important. You can find pendants, bracelets, and rings bearing the Celtic love knot at Irish specialty shops and jewelers who work with classic Celtic imagery.
Scarabs
The scarab image in jewelry has been around for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used this beetle symbol for good luck and to ward off evil forces. It was often carved into jade, alabaster, and jasper.
Scarab jewelry made a big comeback during the 1920s, when discovery of and accessibility to Egyptian antiquities increased, and has remained a classic ever since. You'll find scarabs in all types of jewelry, including drop earrings and pins, and these are often inlaid with beautiful precious or semiprecious stones to accentuate the parts of the insect.
Mourning Jewelry
Mourning jewelry was popular during the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian periods in Europe. These pieces were often inscribed with memorials or contained small lockets to house pieces of hair or drawings of the deceased. Sometimes a single eye was shown shedding a pearl tear, or a tooth from the lost loved one was set in a ring.
There has been a surge in interest in mourning jewelry, and these pieces are showing up in antique shops and auction houses. You could, however, commission a new piece of jewelry from a custom jeweler for someone in mourning today, even for a pet or a place they have moved away from.
Jewelry is one of the best ways to use symbols as expressions of love, faith, and sadness. Try one of the symbols above the next time you are looking for something unique and meaningful to wear every day. Contact a jewelry shop, such as Sloane Jewelry LLC, for more information.
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