Of all the symbols used in jewelry, the wishbone is one of the simplest and most meaningful—a symbol of luck and the promise of good times to come.
Some people may associate the wishbone with Thanksgiving: Remember that age-old tradition of breaking the wishbone that you find in old Tom Turkey and hoping that your strength could give you good luck all year long?
“Folklore has it if two people grab a wishbone and pull in opposite directions, the person who gets the bigger piece will have good luck,” says Carey De Tota, Replacements Ltd.’s gemologist and a wishbone enthusiast. “The wishbone pendant symbolizes hope for the future and good luck to the wearer. The wishbone design symbolizes good fortune and potential.”
Here’s some additional knowledge you may not already have about the wishbone: It is a part of a bird’s skeleton and is actually named the furcula. This forked bone helps a bird gain the stability and strength it needs for flight. Dinosaurs supposedly had wishbones, which should come as no surprise, since birds are said to have evolved from dinosaurs.
Breaking a wishbone for good luck goes back centuries. According to one version of the story, Etruscans, an Italian civilization of old, believed birds could tell what was going to happen in the future. So wishbones were magical ways to predict a person’s fortune. The custom spread to Rome and beyond.
Wishbone jewelry is a great gift for loved ones at any time, but it’s ideal for graduates, who are about to go into the world. They also could be smart items for friends at the start of a new part of their life, like an engagement, or even a “happy ending” like a divorce. You could also give a wishbone pendant, brooch, or earrings to someone who is taking a bucket-list kind of trip—so they’ll have luck on their side during their travels.
Here is a selection of wishbones that jewelers have created in a variety of precious metals. Some have gemstones, and others are lovely all on their own.
Top: Replacements Ltd. offers a wishbone pendant made in the 1960s or ’70s of diamonds and white gold ($459.95). (Photo courtesy of Replacements Ltd.)
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