Good Luck Files - The Evil Eye Stone

The eyes never lie. The famous saying "the eyes are the mirror of the soul" refers, in fact, to the ability of sight to reflect with immediacy feelings, emotions and sensations, revealing, totally or partially, the character and the intentions of the person we're staring at. The best way to understand who we have in front of us is looking him/her in the eyes. The belief that the eye reveals temperament and emotional experience of people, is known as much as the belief of the eye as "open window to a wider world " , representing the starting point of the distinction between positive and negative thoughts.

The latter, manifested through the eyes, are believed to generate negative effects on those who are the object of this envy and /or hate. The evil eye is the name given to bad luck thrown, through the eyes, at people. In almost all human societies, the only way to neutralize these thoughts is using amulets. Lots of objects have these proprieties but, among the most common, there is the Nazar.

Nazar Boncuk (pronounced as Nasar Bongiuc in Turkish), also called the "Evil Eye Stone" or Munçuk, is an amulet of the Turkish tradition, but is now common also in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and Azerbaijan, where the is often hung in houses, offices, cars, children's clothing, or incorporated in jewellery and ornaments.

This Turkish Nazar (The word is derived from the Arabic نظر, "sight") is a glass bead characterized by a blue glass field with a blue or black dot superimposed on a white or yellow center. Historically old, the blue bead has gained importance as an item of popular culture in Modern Turkey. The bead probably originated in the Mediterranean and is associated with the development of glass making. Written documents and extant beads date as early as the 16th century BC. Glass beads were made and widely used throughout the ancient world: from Mesopotamia to Egypt, from Phoenicia to Persia, and throughout the Roman imperial period.

Ordinarily, these beads recall the form of a human eye. And that's the reason why they protect people from evil looks or the evil eye. And if a pearl is broken by accident, this means that worked and has protected the person, so the evil eye is gone with the crack in the glass. Glaziers use to search for blue shiny stones for making these little masterpieces, a color that, according to popular belief, have the power to absorb negativity. In our days faith, tradition or decorative taste, attract thousands of people, so it is not far fetched to say  this cultural tradition became an international trend (as you can see in the photo, even some planes have this symbol). They are a popular choice of souvenir with tourists. Bracelets and Key-rings made with these beads are a very wonderful item. A sparkling memory of a holiday to remember...