A Keepsake for Life

   It was the order of a mother for her daughter, who was getting married soon. The idea was a small silver ring - a gift to express everything a mother wishes for her daughter and her new family as they face the future. No more – and no less – than that.

     I suggested to her about 10 different designs, and this is the one she chose.

    Set into this ring is a rotating drum with four faces and gold balls on the ends.On each face of the drum is a combination of three gold Hebrew letters, spelling out one of the 72 names of God passed down in mystical Jewish tradition.

Alef Lamed Dalet is a prayer for protection from the evil in the world.   

אלד

Hei Hei Ayn represents unconditional love, the way a mother loves her child… the way husbands and wives should love each other.     

ההע

Yud Yud Yud stands for the ability to distinguish and bypass the negative people in your life, and relate only to those who are healthy for you. 

ייי

Nun Mem Mem is a reminder to listen to your own soul, and always be yourself.

נממ

It’s a unique jewelry gift with more than just graceful beauty… its messages will stay relevant every day of her life.

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.