Throughout history, many cultures have believed in individuals with the power to injure or kill with just a glance. Many were considered supernatural creatures, witches, vampires, and the like. Sometimes blue eyes in a predominately brown eyed society led people to believe the blue eyed strange had the evil eye. Eyes of two different color was also an indicator. Just looking at something cross-eyed was viewed as threat. Several animals could also give the evil eye, especially toads which were often associated with witches in legend. Even giving a compliment was perilous, for the Evil Eye was considered primarily an act of envy, attracted to beautiful things. The more attractive your amulet, the more it will absorb the negativity of the Evil Eye into itself and protect you from harm. In various cultures, people made a practice of not boasting of their good fortune for fear that someone might hear and destroy their contentment. In the Middle East, children might be dressed in rags and seldom praised in public simply to protect them from envy and harm.
One of the best know charms against the evil eye is the figga. The thumb may be inserted between the first two fingers, or models can be worn as necklaces. A very simple Pennsylvanian Dutch charm was to attach a safety pin to the sleeve of your shirt. The metal of the pin being proof from all sorts of magickal attack including the evil eye. In Scotland and in India, the use of a red ribbon is common for averting the evil eye from children. Four leaf clovers, rabbit’s feet, and other lucky charms would also be effective.
Materials needed
3" X 5" piece of copper, brass, aluminum or metal of your choice 1/4 inch gauge
paper and carbon paper
center punch or #10 finishing nail
half-round medium file
rattail needle file
tin snips
emery cloth
drill and buffing attachment
vise or C-clamps
5 jump rings 1/4 inch size
5 jewelry pins
5 barrel swivels
beads (red or white would be good colors)Draw a hand template onto paper. (Note : to transfer the hand to the metal, rough the surface with the emery cloth first) Tape the carbon paper face down and then your template over it, and trace the hand you have drawn. You may also choose to place the paper over the metal and simply use the centerpunch or nail to punch holes around the outline.
Cut along the design close to the outline with the tin snips. Do not try to be perfect with the fingers. You'll need to even that part out with the file later anyway. Drill 1/8 inch holes near the end of each finger and one near the top of the hand. This one can be either a 1/8" or 1/4 " size hole, depending upon by the size of the chain or thong you intend to wear it on.
Clamp the hand in a vise or between two pieces of wood with a C-clamp. Keep the outer edges of side you are filing down just slightly over the end of wood. This will keep the vibrations lower as you work. File the edges smooth with the half-round medium fine tooth file, for between the fingers use a flat needle file and the smallest rattail needle file you can for the holes.
While filing, the hand will deform from the pressure. Simply unclamp it and use a ballpeen hammer to flatten it out as needed.
Polish it with the emory cloth and buff before placing the jump rings, barrel swivels, and jewelry pins into each of the holes at the end of the fingers. Put the jewelry pins in place and your beads on them. Just make sure that no matter how many beads you use, that you leave a 1/2" of pin sticking out. Twist this a couple of turns through the barrel swivel to secure the beads and then clip off the excess.