Strength and Protection Charm Necklace

A simple and delicate 14k gold chain with a small cluster of charms used for protection from evil and to inspire strength in the wearer. Black coral and 14k mano figa charm, a coral and mother of pearl corno, and a small roman coin edged in 14k gold. 

The black coral mano figa, literally translated as fig hand and in some cultures thought of as an obscene gesture representing the female genitalia, is a magically protective element to ward off evil curses and bad luck of all kinds.

The Italian horn amulet or corno is also a portafortuna, meaning lucky charm. It's said to provide protection against the evil eye, a curse thought to be caused by the jealousy and envy of others. Some know it as the devil's horn amulet, because it was thought to be shaped like one of the devil's horns, but the symbol actually predates Christianity by thousands of years. The original shape is thought to be that of the horn of an african eland (a genus of antelopes) or based on the horns of the old European moon goddess but the actual origins are debated.

The roman coin has been added as a symbol of strength in the face of all of this bad luck and envious damning. Julius Caesar was the first emperor to put his own image on the face of a coin while he was living. In 44 B.C he issued a coin with his face in profile on one side and the god Venus in her military armor, holding a statue of Victoria, the goddess of victory on the other. In this way, Caesar related himself and Rome to the divine gods and portrayed himself as the ideal of Roman power and supremacy. After Caesar, emperors continued to issue coinage with their likenesses, coins becoming almost the mass media of the day. The dispersed coins were about as close as most ordinary Romans would ever come to seeing their ruler in person.