Blue Enamel Silver Dove Hamsa
Now from this understanding we see that maybe the roots of this amulet, as symbolized by the hand, the palm of the hand, are different from how we used to see it before – quite earlier than Islamic culture, and if we go back to this pendant which we see here, I use the blue colors and again the form of the dove and the eye within the dove.
Click to Enlarge
Silver and Gold Hamsa Pendant with Citrine Stone
Now the next one, we have seen this design before, the same use of nearly melted silver, using 24 karat gold inlay, and this time above the priestly blessing – the citrine stone.
Click to Enlarge
Dove Hamsa Amulet with Lapis Lazuli Trinket
The next one is an amulet – necklace – with a lapis Lazuli as a cover of a rather large box, and below there is the palm of the hand in the shape of a dove, and five fingers. And here, very clearly, you can see the lines of the hand as creating the palm of the hand with the power of blessing and protecting.
Click to Enlarge
Silver and Gold Dove Hamsa with Sodalite and Cornelian Stones
In the next one let’s begin with the form of the palm of the hand as the body of the dove. The body of the dove, as you see here, is very emphasized. We know that this part of the thumb (belly) below the eye is called by those who read the hand – Venus Hill. And between the Venus Hill which is the body of the dove and the eye at the center of the palm we see the lines of the hand in “sous de lire” – a technique of engraving into the silver, and like lines which have 24 karat gold between them to create together with the eye (which is a fish as well, if you can follow the form) a hieroglyph, a way to relate to the ancient Egyptian eye hieroglyph. With an inlay of 24 karat gold with a Sodalite stone with ancient polishing. This stone is used from another ancient piece of jewelry which I attached here into this eye – fish symbol in the palm of the Hamsa hand. Above them you can see the Cornelian rectangular stone which is also blue in a way, set in 18 karat gold, to finish or to accomplish the whole composition of this very very special pendant.
Click to Enlarge
Granite Hamsa Statue with Rock Crystal
And one step further into the subject of the Hamsa – palm of the hand. Here I use it as a miniature sculpture. Now I must say in the beginning that this one was bought from my studio rather fast after accomplishing it. I decided one day that I would like to create from the same motive of the Hamsa a little sculpture in a South African way of designing this palm of the hand, which is like a flower in fact. And here I used within the form of the three middle fingers a very basic form of the palm tree, or the Menorah. Menorah means originally the golden lamp of the Temple in Jerusalem. But here it’s not the well known-half-round-lines but more like the Tree of Life, three on the right side and three on the left side. And the tree of life grows ever more and more and that’s why the palm tree represents the Tree of Life, and at the same time symbolizes Israel.
From this center of the palm tree we can see the ever seeing eye. It’s hard to see, the photograph is very bad, but you can see the lines of the eye which I use here in the middle of a rock crystal, with very clear clouds within this stone. It’s a raw polished piece of crystal and whenever you look at it the same cloudy structure within the crystal gives back a very fine shine, sometimes of a spectrum, like the rainbow. But it definitely throws a very beautiful shine on the palm of the hand itself. And at this point we shall conclude this topic of the Hamsa, as a small sculpture, very fine to put on a table. The stone which is attached to it is a very heavy granite.
Click to Enlarge
|
