Good luck. We wish it for others and we look for ways to bring luck into our own lives, sometimes even carrying a lucky charm. Throughout the ages, wearing a piece of jewelry that will attract good fortune has also been a popular way to keep a talisman close. There are many symbols of luck including numbers, flowers and animals, while wearing a piece of jewelry with your birthstone is also thought to bring good fortune. Jewelry designers interpret these lucky emblems into wearable amulets that will be treasured for a lifetime. Here, we showcase a few lucky jewels and what they symbolize.
Charming Clover
The brilliant green clover has long been considered a lucky charm, especially those with four leaves, as they are particularly hard to find. Clover has traditionally been a Celtic symbol of luck, protection and prosperity, it also wards off the evil eye and is associated with Brigid, the Celtic goddess of healing, poetry and fertility. It is also believed that if you find a four leaf clover, you’ll find love. Clover can grow almost anywhere, so it is also linked to adaptability since it adjusts to any environment. Native Americans wear clover to attract positive energy and they also associate the plant with luck, abundance and protection. In Eastern traditions, three leaf clovers represent the cycle of life: Birth, life and death.
Auspicious Elephant
The mighty elephant is associated with good fortune, strength, health and happiness. The idea that elephants are lucky goes back to Hindu culture, and the deity Ganesh, who has a human body and the head of an elephant. Ganesh is linked to new beginnings and is the remover of obstacles. According to Hindu Lore, elephants are the earthly living embodiment of Ganesh. Elephants are considered to be one of the most intelligent animals on the planet, which of course means that they are associated with wisdom. If an elephant has a raised trunk it is considered to be especially lucky.
Good Fortune Horseshoe
A horseshoe as a symbol of luck goes back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Horseshoes were made of iron and in the ancient world, iron was considered to be a magical metal that has protective powers. Horseshoes are shaped like a crescent moon, so they are connected to lunar deities associated with fertility and abundance. Medieval Europeans believed that a horseshoe was protection against witches and their spells. It is thought that if you tap a horseshoe with a coin, or rub it with silver, it will bring even more luck. The big question is whether to wear a horseshoe pointing up or down. They are good luck either way. The difference is that if the horseshoe is pointing up, it collects and holds luck, pointing down, it sends luck to others.
Lucky Ladybug
The lovely ladybug is another powerful symbol of good luck, resilience and protection. If a ladybug lands on you, it is said to be a “kiss” of good luck. Ladybugs became lucky symbols due to farming in Medieval Europe. Crops were being destroyed by pests, so the farmers all got together and prayed to the Virgin Mary to save their crops. Soon after the prayer meeting ladybugs descended on the crops, ate the predators and saved the fields. When the harvest was abundant, it was followed by a busy wedding season because the farmers made money selling their crops and were ready to wed. For this reason, ladybugs are also believed to be lucky for love. If you see a ladybug and you’re looking for love, it means that you either just met, or are about to meet someone special. According to ancient Norse legend, if two people see a ladybug at the same time, they will fall in love.
You’ll find lucky themes in all types of jewelry, but a brooch with a good fortune motif is particularly powerful because pinning the brooch to yourself is also an act of good luck!
Top of Page: Diamond, plique-a-jour enamel and 18-karat gold, Art Nouveau clover themed brooch, French, circa 1900.
Diamond, jade and platinum clover brooch, circa 1955; Diamond, emerald and 14-karat gold elephant brooch, contemporary; Edwardian diamond, natural pearl, 18-karat gold and platinum horseshoe brooch, circa 1905; Diamond, coral and 18-karat gold ladybug clip brooch, signed Cartier Paris, circa 1950s.
Authored by Amber Michelle