What is the Evil Eye?

That little circular blue eye is everywhere these days — in jewelry, hanging in windows and doorways, and even in emoji form. But what does it mean? In a nutshell, the evil eye symbol is used to ward off bad energy from other people. With all the bad energy going around these days, no wonder it’s so popular!

Belief in the evil eye dates back to ancient times and has been particularly strong in Mediterranean and West Asian cultures, such as Italy, Greece, and Turkey. It is also found in Celtic regions, East and West Africa, Latin America, and the Indian Subcontinent. In different cultures, the evil eye is represented differently. Italians call it “malocchio” and wear horn-shaped amulets (often red) to ward it off. In Judaism, a hamsa, which is a hand with an eye in its palm, is used as protection from the evil eye. Wearing the color blue is believed to ward off the evil eye in Trinidad and Tobago. Many other cultures have adopted a variation of the Turkish nazar, similar to the eye bead shown here in our evil eye ring.

In modern America, the current trend is to wear the type of eye bead featured in Strega Mama Emporio jewelry. Whether you want to ward off some bad energy or you just want to look cool, Strega Mama Emporio has got you covered. Check out our evil eye jewelry set!