When is a Trinket a Talisman?

I came across a lecture on Egyptian jewelry art, by a Professor Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi.
That's a very interesting name for an Egyptologist, and it was a very interesting lecture.
According to him, the ancients believed that jewelry had certain magic meaning, and in some way could protect us against spells, curses, disasters and even physical attacks. There was a time when all peoples believed in it. But the Egyptians (said the Professor) had a stronger than average conviction that pieces of jewelry were not just items of personal adornment; they connected with natural forces that helped the person who wore them.
That tradition (or superstition, depending on your viewpoint) has continued to this day in some cultures. Did those talisman pieces offer protection? Apparently not for the ancient Egyptians, whose empire crumbled and left the jewelry behind for other cultures to analyze....
But the symbolism embodied in much of the jewelry we wear today still makes it more than a trinket.

What is"in Fashion" Today

Yesterday I was in an Israeli company's clothing store. Some costume jewelry was also on display there. The styles were very "modern", which is another way of saying "in fashion today".

How was that expressed? First, all the jewelry pieces – pendants, rings, earrings, you name it – were not simply big. They were huge! They were also "pieces" in the crude, literal sense - chunks of metal or wood connected by chains with links measuring several inches long and wide - the stuff you see in the hardware store.
I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand: yes, these decorations are creative and look good against clothing of modern design. On the other hand, they remind me of all "modern" things: easily, quickly assembled, with a short life expectancy, made to be left behind for the next "modern" style. In fashion today, forgotten tomorrow.

To my thinking, it has little to offer in helping a woman to establish that unique self-identifying statement called "style" which (ideally) each woman should possess.