The evil eye is a “look” or “stare” that is believed to bring bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. The concept and the significance of the evil eye is especially prominent in the Mediterranean and West Asia. ![]() Tell us about the history of the evil eye.Ī quasi-universal symbol of protection, the evil eye is referred to as μάτι ( mati) in Greek. And so, after seeing Meghan Markle wear an evil eye (one that promptly sold out after a photo appeared) I emailed Makri, at home in Athens-in an apartment with one of the best Acropolis views I've ever seen-and asked her for her views on this ancient mystical symbol of protection. Whenever anyone asks me why we still wear evil eye pendants, or why we wear them now more than ever, I point them to this Greek-born jeweler. Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us // Getty Images The traditional blue evil eye glass amulets for sale in the grand bazaar, Beyazit, Istanbul, Turkey. They were as full of the talismanic power as any I had ever seen, but they were also full of diamonds. The first time I saw an evil eye that did not look like the ones from the flea market was one afternoon at Barney's while staring into a vitrine with Makri’s name lightly etched in the corner. I often, and proudly, trace its rise to designer Ileana Makri, who brought the shape and all its meaning from Athens to Barney's New York in late 1999. How did this ancient symbol of protection leap from proud proof of a Greek vacation to royal jewelry status? ![]() Meghan Markle often wears one, sometimes in the form of a pendant with a blue topaz eye, but she has also been seen wearing a delicate gold evil eye bracelet. Now they come studded with sapphires and diamonds or painted in fine and vibrant enamel tones. There was a time that was the only sort of evil eye bracelet you could find: blue and white glass symbols strung on a leather chord. I’m wearing one of my own as I type this but it’s the old fashioned kind, one I probably bought in multiples from a stall in the Monastiraki flea market in Athens to bring back home for friends.
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