symbolic necklaces

Quetzalcoatl, the "feathered serpent" was a revered deity in Mesoamerican myth and legend. Mariana Llanes depicts him as a sterling silver dragon that take its own tail in his mouth. "When one becomes many, they awaken the dragon, and duality emerges — light and darkness, what is mine, yours and belonging to others," ths artist says. "Our differences, survival and the struggles for power.

"By biting its tail, the dragon places all its energy toward understanding who we are and why we're here. It speaks of overcoming one's own ego, of humility.

"For me, the open hands are a beautiful representation of human collaboration. They symbolize friendship, honesty, respect, solidarity and willingness.

"Black crosses flank the hands along with garnet droplets that represent the death and suffering caused by wars. This is in honor of everyone who has died because of war. And it's a prayer that their lives and their blood be seeds that germinate in green fields of conscience, learning, and respect for life and for our differences.

"The spirals speak of life's cyclical nature and of resilience. Of our capacity to learn and change our reality, converting painful experiences into strength and wisdom.

"The feather pendants are symbols of the birds that collect our prayers around the world — for peace, for justice, for equality and the rights of everyone. They carry our voices in their song and they carry our prayers for peace."

The pendant is worn on a beaded gemstone strand of amethyst, iolite, citrine, peridot, carnelian and garnet.

A jewel for each chakra center—Abhishek Singla's newest pendant necklace invites you to live in harmony and peace with an ethereal creation by Thai artisans. The team works with sterling silver to create this necklace, whose spiral pendant holds faceted amethyst, iolite, blue topaz, peridot, citrine, carnelian and garnet jewels.

Jewelry artisan Bhavesh, in India, created this pendant necklace to carry with it a symbolic message of world peace. "The pink tourmaline strings encourage peace and understanding, representing peace and harmony between mankind," he explains. Modeling humanity's peaceful coexistence, he embellished this unique sterling silver design with cultured pearls, pink tourmaline beads and faceted cubic zirconia stones.

He explains that the pearls are symbolic of innocence and faith, enhancing harmony between people, while the pendant's pink tourmalines, being symbols of humanity, encourage sympathy and understanding. Comprising the pendant's dome, cubic zirconia stones are believed to help keep selfishness and negative emotions at bay.

Luminous Om centers a colorful chakra wheel studded with shimmering gemstones in the design of this necklace from Alok Jain. Crafted of sterling silver, the necklace features gemstones totaling 6.3 carats, and each one is related to a specific chakra by virtue of its color. Amethyst corresponds to the crown chakra, clear quartz to the brow, iolite to the throat and peridot to the heart. Citrine is associated with the solar plexus, carnelian to the sacral and garnet to the root chakra.

In Sanskrit, chakra refers to an energy vortex through which vital universal forces are channeled, and there are believed to be seven in the human body. When all seven are aligned, the person feels a healthy sense of well-being.

.925 Sterling silver.

Garnet, citrine, iolite, peridot, and amethyst surround a central blue topaz in this sterling silver pendant. The gems are hand-cut in Jaipur and hand-set in Kolkata. Inspired by the works of recently canonized missionary Mother Teresa, who spent much of her life ministering in Kolkata.

A lotus pendant dangles at the bottom of this station necklace, representing your spiritual side. Inspired by the ancient Chakra doctrine, Balinese artisan Wayan Trisna uses sterling silver to craft this sublime accessory, adding little beads of garnet, amethyst carnelian, rose quartz, reconstituted turquoise, peridot and citrine stones to the chain, symbolizing the union between your energy centers.

The divine and stunning peacock is an unmistakable sign of luxury and style in any creation of the Balinese region. Inspired by this gorgeous bird and its symbolism, artisan Made Wardika makes a distinguished piece paying homage to this regal creature, now adorning a sterling silver pendant necklace. Enhanced with a carved moon-shaped bone accent—a symbol of mysticism—and a combination of polished and oxidized finishes, the accessory is crowned with faceted amethyst, garnet and peridot jewels totaling over one carat.

A lotus pendant dangles at the bottom of this station necklace, representing your spiritual side in a state of enlightenment. Inspired by the ancient Chakra doctrine, Balinese artisan Wayan Trisna uses 18k gold-plated sterling silver to craft this exquisite accessory, adding little beads of garnet, amethyst carnelian, rose quartz, reconstituted turquoise, peridot and citrine stones to the chain, symbolizing the union between your energy centers.

Command attention with this extraordinary pendant necklace by Michael Krainer. Crafted in Thailand, the openwork floral design draws inspiration from chakra symbols and beautifully showcases radiant amethyst, garnet, citrine, blue topaz, white topaz and peridot stones. The lustrous sterling silver and contemporary ball chain create a bold, sophisticated accessory that's impossible to ignore.

Crafted of sterling silver, the form of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha fuses with the om symbol in the pendant of this necklace from India. Local artisans choose sparkling gems of carnelian, citrine, peridot, iolite, and amethyst, with garnet at Ganesha's eye and blue topaz at the om's crescent for an accessory that evokes the chakras.

Antiqued copper wires let a semi-abstract bird fly in this unique pendant necklace. Crafted in Armenia, Sose Karakhanyan's newest design draws inspiration from the region's classic symbolism, merging it with precious gemstones of agate, carnelian and hematite. A cord completes the accessory with comfort.

Dazzling with bright colors, each gem on this necklace symbolizes a different chakra point. Meaning "wheel," chakra refers to the points of spiritual and physical energy in the human body. Violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red represent the crown, brow, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and root. For this pendant necklace Sarote Lochotinunt selects garnet, Madeira citrine (orange), citrine, peridot, topaz, iolite, and amethyst.