Here's looking at you - What the Nazar boncugu or Evil Eye bead means

Have you ever had someone say to you "Don't look now, but they're giving you the evils"?

You know that means someone is looking at you with unpleasant thoughts towards you, but did you know that the Evil Eye is an ancient belief, and that there's an equally ancient counter measure?

The evil eye bead has a fascinating history, so discover some facts about it with me, and you can surprise people the next time you spot one!

The first recorded mention of the evil eye was way back about 5,000 years ago, written in cuneiform on clay tablets by the Mesopotamian. The idea of a curse cast by a malevolent glare found its way into Jewish, Christian and Muslim cultures as well as Buddhist and Hindu societies - It's a pretty simple concept.

With any source of misfortune, we humans search for a way to reverse it, and the evil eye bead came about, glaring at misfortune, and redirecting it back onto the source. Known as a nazar, a word deriving from Arabic, relating to sight, surveillance, and similar concepts, the nazar boncugu (evil eye bead) is traditionally a blue glass or ceramic bead, with white and blue circles representing stylised eyes.

Why traditionally blue? Some people believe that with the evil eye bead originating in dry countries, blue was a special colour, representing life giving water, but there could be a much simpler reason. The origin of evil eye beads are sometimes traced back 3,000 years to ancient Egypt, where the eye of the God Osiris was thought to have protective powers. Egyptian glazed mud contains a high percentage of oxides, and the copper and cobalt give the blue colour when baked!

Most often the nazar boncugu is associated with Turkey, where it is very commonly used and worn, and it's claimed that the symbol as we know it today originated in one small Turkish village. However, they're not only common in Turkey, but also found across Greece, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Southern Italy (Naples), the Levant,  Afghanistan and increasingly in other countries where immigrant communities are bringing their traditions with them.
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​Today you'll see evil eye beads and symbols pinned over newborn babies' cribs, hanging in cars, nailed over shop counters, on key chains and worry beads, next to front doors and of course, worn as amulets in jewellery. I sent Mark of BooBoo & Ted a colourful pin as part of a maker swap, and he popped it on his desk (keeping a cactus company) to watch over him as he works - I love the idea of a guardian cactus!

With evil eye beads now frequently bought as holiday souvenirs, they are often hung up or worn by people less for their purpose as an amulet, and more as a fond memory, beautiful item in their own right, or talking point. The tradition of protection also makes evil eye jewellery a meaningful gift, implying that you're "keeping an eye out" for a loved one even if you're not there personally. 

So, a 5,000 year old malevolent glare, deflected by a 3,000 year old design of bead, and it's still going strong today!

​I'd love to know where you've seen evil eye beads (I recently spotted some on a friend's handbag charm recently) ​so do let me know in the comments - How unexpected was it?

Pick up your own Evil Eye bead