The Eye-in-Hand

The eye-in-hand is an old and still popular apotropaic amulet for magical protection from the evil eye. Combining the imagery of Greek and Turkish blue all-seeing eye charms with the downward-facing Arab and Israeli hamsa hand, the eye-in-hand is a frequently encountered protective talisman in India and the southern Mediterranean region.

The three modern eye-in-hand amulets shown here are meant to be worn as jewelry. They are 3/4 of an inch to one inch in length. From left to right they are:


A sterling silver eye-in-hand amulet from Israel in which the eye is represented by a domed piece of burgundy-coloured glass; it was bought at a head shop in Berkeley, California, in 1995. A carved bone eye-in-hand amulet from India, bought from Indian immigrants at a flea market in Oakland, California, in 1996. When asked what it was used for, the seller said, "To protect." A sterling silver amulet in which a blue eye of lapis lazuli has been displaced above the hand and the hand itself reaches down to touch a five-petaled flower (perhaps a potentilla species) and what may be ocean waves or mountain peaks. The country of origin is unknown; it was bought at a new age cosmetics shop in Sebastopol, California, in 1995.

The most popular form of eye-in-hand amulet is probably the blue glass charm from Turkey. In the region of the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean, the evil eye is generally conceived as blue in colour. Thus a blue eye-charm is considered most efficacious in warding off the influence of envious gazing.