People who hold strong religious beliefs have a tendency to incorporate symbols of their religions into their daily clothing. As anybody who actually does this will know, it can be very hard to wear religious symbols on one’s clothing, mainly because these symbols are sacred and therefore must be kept clean. An alternative to actually wearing clothing (that’s easily soiled and therefore hard to keep clean) is to wear religious and spiritual symbols as jewelry.
But how are you supposed to convey symbolism with jewelry while looking your best? This post will answer that question for you.
Necklaces
Most people would agree that necklaces are the best way to wear religious jewelry. Religions that have sacred symbols often require people to wear them to keep them away from unclean parts of the body, like your genitalia. Necklaces are great because they are worn high on your body and therefore can’t be contaminated with germs or dirt.
Spiritualists also believe that by wearing a necklace with a symbol on it, you guard your chest, and in particular heart, from evil. It’s very common for wearers of evil eye necklaces to wear them hanging low, so they sit over the wearer’s heart. If you are going to buy one of these necklaces, then buy the best evil eye necklace you can, and ensure its chain is long enough to sit over your heart. Bear in mind that if the necklace you are intending on wearing is made out of precious metal, it could be quite expensive to purchase.
Beads
An alternative to necklaces made out of metal is necklaces that are made from beads. The wearing of beaded necklaces is very common in religions like Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The beads worn around people’s necks are considered sacred, and some have religious words and phrases carved into them. Muslims, for example, believe that Allah (the Arabic name for the Abrahamic God) has 99 names, each one denoting one of His attributes. Because of this, it’s very common for followers of Islam to wear beaded necklaces with 99 beads on. Muslims then recite Allah’s 99 names, while using the beads to count. It is believed that good luck and blessings are bestowed upon those who recite Allah’s names.
Other religions use beads in a similar fashion, mainly for prayer. The general belief across all religions that use beads sacredly is that their use confers blessings upon the wearer. In the last few years, beads have become very fashionable, making them a great choice if you are a person that’s fashion conscious and wants to wear religious items while looking stylish. Christians also wear rosary beads, which have a crucifix attached to them. Spiritualists believe that wearing beads can improve and strengthen one’s bodily energy.
Bracelets
Bracelets are a very popular form of jewelry that can definitely make a person appear a lot more stylish. It’s very common to find beaded bracelets, used for the same purpose as those mentioned in the previous section. It is not as common to find bracelets made from precious metals carrying religious symbols, because many people believe that when one’s arm is slack, its closeness to the human genitalia means one’s religious and spiritual jewelry could become contaminated with germs or bacteria, making it impure.
Many people who don’t follow mainstream faiths, however, like spiritualists, see no problem in wearing their sacred symbols around their wrists, or on any part of their body for that matter. The reason for this is that many spiritualists believe that the entire human body is divine, and therefore, cannot make anything impure. It is very common for spiritualists and followers of pagan religions to wear religious symbols on their bracelets. Followers of Odinism, for example, tend to wear bracelets that have runic symbols carved into them. It’s worth noting that any kind of bracelet is trendy, as long as it is worn right. Make sure to wear yours in a way that compliments your outfit.
You could also consider wearing precious gemstones, like quartz or tiger’s eye. These stones are considered to be very sacred, and spiritualists believe that they confer blessings and good luck upon those who wear them. It’s also believed that gemstones help to synchronize one’s bodily energies.
Rings
Rings have been worn by religious people for thousands of years. It was common for ancient Greeks and Romans to wear rings depicting their gods. Later, Christians adopted the wearing of rings. The wearing of rings depicting religious symbols is very popular with Catholics, in particular. The Pope and his cardinals all wear large rings with crucifixes on. Ordinary Catholics also tend to wear rings that carry the images of their family’s preferred saint. Orthodox Christians do the same thing. It is also common practice for Muslims to wear silver rings on their left hands, with precious stones placed inside them.
If you are intending on wearing a ring, then try to wear one that reflects your character. If you are a very loud, confident person, then a large ring bearing a precious stone would be a great match. If on the other hand, you are shy and reserved, a small signet ring could work. You can get great deals on religious rings at auction. Alternatively, you can commission a bespoke ring maker to make a ring for you from scratch, putting your chosen symbol onto the ring’s face for you.
Precious Metals
Moving away from types of jewelry, it’s important to mention the types of metal that you should use in religious jewelry. If you are a Muslim male, then the wearing of gold is forbidden to you. If you are a Christian then gold is allowed, but some people consider it far too ostentatious since Christ was a humble, poor man.
It is a good idea to conduct research into your religion’s rules regarding the wearing of jewelry. If there are any prohibitions regarding specific metals, then you need to make sure that you avoid those specific metals.
Jewelry has been worn by human beings for tens of thousands of years. People wear jewelry for all manner of reasons. If you want to wear it because of your religious or spiritual beliefs but fashion’s important to you, then try to look as stylish as you can by matching your jewelry to your outfit or to your personality and appearance.
