Thousands of years old and popular across cultures, the evil eye symbol is one of jewelry’s most enduring talismans. Designed to ward off curses, especially those inspired by envy, the ocular amulet has always been sought after (just ask the ancient Phoenicians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans and, certainly, the Ottomans).
The events of 2020, however, supercharged demand for jewelry that imbued its wearer with a sense of protection, and the age-old evil eye style has been mega-trending ever since.
Evil eye jewels, as well as pieces featuring more stylized interpretations of the eye (Sauer, we’re looking at you!), were ubiquitous last month at the shows in Las Vegas, where designers showcased the symbol set with a range of gemstone center stones, including opal, sapphire, and turquoise.
One of the freshest takes on the enduring style comes from Italian designer Anna Maccieri Rossi, whose eye (featured at top) centers on a cloud dreamscape that evokes the work of Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. The scene, hand-painted on mother-of-pearl, is framed by the marquise-shaped golden silhouette of an eye set with diamonds and a rainbow of sapphires, offering a bejeweled rejoinder to Magritte’s The False Mirror, a painting in which he replaces the iris with a blue, cloud-filled sky.
The eyes certainly have it!
Top: Rainbow Evil Eye charm in 18k yellow gold with hand-painted mother of pearl, diamonds, and sapphires, $5,720; Anna Maccieri Rossi
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