The Meaning Behind Wiccan and Pagan Jewelry

by JoHarrington

Buying Wiccan or Pagan jewelry means entering a world of symbolism. Are you giving the right message to the witches around you?

Pagans love jewelry. I don't know what it is about us that makes us desperate to display our spirituality on our sleeves.

Or around our necks. On our fingers. In our hair. Encircling our crowns. Jangling on our ankles.

It's probably tribal. After all, we get to recognize each other in crowds with all of those pentagrams on display. A glance tells us so much. Or does it?

Do you really know what the other witches are assuming about you, when that see that icon around your neck?

What is Your Witch Jewelry Saying About You?

Enter any Witchcraft or New Age store and the array of pendants twinkle back from their velvet trays. Those interested in the craft might pick one at random; the symbol which calls to them. They could well be doing themselves a disservice.

As a high priestess in conversation with Pagans, my gaze will dip to any jewelry on display. It won't tell me everything there is to know about this individual, but it will give me clues. I make certain assumptions about what is or isn't known.

I doubt that I'm alone in that.

Too often it may then transpire that they are wearing that symbol without any real knowledge of the meaning behind it. Further assumptions may then be made; and those are less pleasant.

This article serves as an introduction to the most commonly seen Wiccan and Pagan jewelry. It will help you determine which is the best for you to purchase.

The Pentagram and Pentacle

A universal symbol of Wicca, the five pointed star is used in rituals at the point of invocation.

There is a saying in Wicca which goes, 'As above, so below'. Nowhere is this more apparent in the symbol that we choose to represent our whole religion.

The five pointed star, or pentagram, actually follows the orbit of the planet Venus, as viewed from the Earth, on its progress around the sun.  Lots of meaning there! The Goddess running rings around a large fire and all that.

But there is a deeper meaning too. Each of the points of the pentagram align to an element - air, fire, water, earth and spirit. Together these are the materials from which all life is created. In this sense, the pentagram is the entire natural world. Hence its appeal for witches!

Pentagram Pendants

Buy pentagram jewelry to either indicate that you are a Wiccan (or a Pagan) or to show that you understand the life-force inherent in the universe.
Crystal Pentagram - Alchemy Gothic Pe...Pentagram Pewter Pendant NecklacePentagram Pendant by Alchemy Gothic, ...

However, you are much more likely to see a pentacle adorning Wiccans everywhere. This is the pentagram inside a circle.

Much Wiccan ritual takes place within a circle. The boundaries of this sacred space are traced by the witch creating it, using his or her athame.  At the four quarters, that athame is raised and the shape of the pentagram is drawn in the air.

This is the invocation, which will be matched later by a banishing one etched in the opposite direction. These actions are requesting the presence of the Watchtowers, the elemental beings who can bring focus to a ritual.

The pentacle recalls this. It's worn by Wiccans and Pagans who have experience of a circle. They aren't necessarily the High Priests and High Priestesses, but they understand how the pentagram is used within the circle.

Pentacle Pendants

Buy a pentacle if you are a practicing Wiccan, Witch or Pagan. It tells the world that you have experience of ritual.
Blue Crystal Pentagram Pewter Pendant...Tiny Sterling Silver Pentacle Pendant...Black Crystal Pentagram Pewter Necklace

Wicca First, Second and Third Degree Jewelry

The symbol that you wear might be alerting Wiccans to your training as an initiate.

No-one enters a coven as the High Priestess, nor even the High Priest. You start as an initiate and learn from those who have walked this path a little longer.

At each degree, the individual earns the right to use a certain symbol. It should be viewed as a badge of progress, but it also lets those around you know what you're currently ready to do.

For example, a second degree witch is quite capable of raising a circle filled with other coven members. But the lack of experience may (or may not) tell during the rite. It's therefore better to have a third degree individual on hand, just in case.

But if someone is flouncing around in third degree jewelry, then they're on their own.

First Degree Wiccan Pendants

I've done my best with this one, but there are no overtly 1st degree Wiccan pendants out there!
Triangle Necklace Black Modern Tribal...Marana Jewelry- Lava Collection- Tria...Crystal Avenue Black Donut and Tribal...

I had to smile, as I hunted through Amazon looking for 1st degree Wiccan jewelry. It's not popular, is it?

There's pure psychology involved here. As an initiate, then your enthusiasm for all things Pagan is unlimited. You want to sing and dance and tell the whole world that you have just gained access to a coven. The God and Goddess love you!

So the last thing you want to do is wear a symbol stating that you're at the bottom rung of the ladder. Not when the alternative is putting on a pentagram or pentacle. Much more witchy those, don't you think?

The inverted triangle (point down) represent the 1st degree.  All watching Wiccans will be ready and able to give guidance, but no-one is letting you loose with circles.

Second Degree Wiccan Pendants

Buy the inverted pentagram (or pentacle) pendants to identify yourself as a Wiccan initiated to the 2nd degree.
Inverted Woven Pentagram Necklace Got...Chrome Plated Inverted Pentagram Pend...Inverted Pentagram Necklace Heavy Ext...

In Britain, the symbol for the 2nd degree of Wicca is the inverted pentagram. But this hit a problem once the religion had crossed the Atlantic.

American Satanists had already nabbed this symbol for themselves. The upright points represented the horns of their God, while the downwards tip was a chin. I'm not 100 percent sure what was indicated by the two lower points.

The very last thing that Wiccans in the USA wanted to do was to align themselves with the Abrahamic God of Darkness and Hell. History has taught us that such alignments are as dangerous as they are false.

(Do I have to repeat over and over again that Satan is nothing to do with witchcraft?  He's not even in our pantheons, let alone a deity to whom any of us would call upon.)

American witches therefore felt it safer to simply use the upright pentagram instead. It's neither here nor there in terms of showing your coven status, but it stops anyone being dragged off to a burning stake.

Third Degree Wiccan Pendants

Buy these pendants to show that you not only know what you're doing, but you are the leader of your own coven too.
Sterling Silver Third Degree Pentacle...Fashion Jewelry Metal Pentacle Pendan...An Impressive Third Degree Pentagram ...

The third degree symbol is the pentagram with an upright triangle above it.  The triangle has a ritualistic meaning, which the individual will learn during the Great Rite.

If I see this around someone's neck, then I expect them to know all that there is to know about running a coven. Well, insofar as you can, when every day is a learning curve. They will be knowledgeable about every aspect of Wicca and able to teach initiates too.

You would be amazed at the amount of people who end up with egg on their faces, while wearing this with no degree levels behind them. They can (and undoubtedly will) be tested.

Other Wiccan Jewelry - Moons, Goddesses and Triskeles

It's not all pentagrams out there!

You may also see Wiccans wearing pendants or other jewelry which depict a moon. This is a reference to the Moon Goddess in Her triple aspect, and/or the period of time that it takes to do moon magic.

The two are not unrelated.

During the course of a month's orbit, we'll see from Earth the waxing face as a crescent; then the full moon as a perfect disc; and finally the waning moon as a crescent facing the other direction. These shapes may be used individually or collected as a three-in-one.

They are used on pendants either as protection or to honor the Goddess.  This is the same Trinity which is being invoked by the wearing of triskeles, for exactly the same reasons.

I hope that I've managed to stave off your blushes, by showing you the best Wiccan and Pagan jewelry to buy to convey your own message to the world.

Happy shopping!

Wiccan Jewelry on eBay

Updated: 10/02/2012, JoHarrington
 
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Comments

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JoHarrington on 06/16/2014

I'm glad you liked it. Of course there is no dogma in Wicca, so we are free to do whatever we wish. But the jewelry still has meaning.

Mystika6 on 06/14/2014

I think that any believers, beginners, masters, whatevers in Wiccas can wear what he/she wants. Always go with feelings/intuitions, it never lies ;) still interesting to read though! ^^

JoHarrington on 06/08/2012

Hi Raven, I've seen the Tree of Life symbol and I love that you have a real tree. It says it much better. Crystals and stones have never been my specialty. Mainly that was because I had a close friend who really did know about them. I used to just consult her instead. I do wear a hematite though.

Peace to you too; and thank you for reading. :)

Jo

JoHarrington on 05/21/2012

There's cool; and if you have any more questions about it, then just ask. Now and in the future. :)

You have me all curious about the other things that you had to say now!

You're welcome and thanks again for commenting.

JoHarrington on 05/21/2012

No problem and thank you for asking the questions. They may well help another reader later on too.

Would you feel happier about making a Wiccan pendant now?

JoHarrington on 05/20/2012

Fred - Thank you very much for the clarification! Just shows how wrong we Brits can get it!

Spirit of RS - I'm very glad that you enjoyed this article. :)

While many Wiccans are very knowledgeable about gemstones, there isn't a prescribed metal nor stone which has to be used in this jewelry. Silver is common, as its color hints at the moon too, but it doesn't have to be. The symbol is more important than the materials.

Of course, many Wiccans choose materials that have some personal meaning to them.

The necklaces that I chose to illustrate the first degree symbol aren't necessarily Wiccan. I was just looking for anything with a point down triangle. It's coincidental that they all happened to be onyx.

Your pendant sounds beautiful! Are you still making jewelry?

Again gemstone knowledge is common in Wicca, but not essential to the religion. Rutilated quartz has no specific Wiccan meaning, beyond that which it would have outside the religion itself.

I love Venus too. She's one of the few stars (well, planet in this case!) that I can a) see here through the light pollution and b) recognize!

All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. Paganism, in a religious context, means anything outside the Abrahamic traditions.

Thank you for your comment. :)

JeanBakula - Thank you very much! Moons and moonstone jewelry is a very Cancerian thing there! In fact, isn't moonstone your birth stone?

You know all about what your pentacle earrings are saying about you now! Black Sabbath got the inverted pentagram from Satanism. As far as I know, the band are Satanists, but the jewelry does shock.

Your jewelry certainly helps people make snap judgements about you. Hopefully this article has helped inform on the most common Wiccan jewelry.

Thank you for your comment. :)

JeanBakula on 05/18/2012

Very interesting article! I read tarot out of a Metaphysical store where the owner and many of the patrons are Wiccan. I'm not, but since I'm a Cancer and like nature, I get along. I find that I am drawn to the moons and moonstone jewelry. I have Pentacle earrings and a few Celtic type necklaces, and have noticed odd looks from certain people when I wear them. I never heard of how the jewelry differs with the level though. Years ago my son was wearing a Pentacle like pendant, but he liked Black Sabbath. He wasn't told to take it off, but a few teachers and aides made negative comments about it, so you are what you wear.

Fred Gwyar on 05/15/2012

Just to clarify "symbols or clothes through which students conspicuously display their religious affiliation" in public primary schools, middle schools, and secondary schools."

Fred Gwyar on 05/15/2012

Haven't been in France for a long time, but I'm pretty sure no symbol as jewelery was banned. I do know that in public school you can't show any religious symbol over a certain size. I assume 4-5 cm should be OK, anything bigger might not.

JoHarrington on 05/15/2012

I assume that you're referring to crosses over a certain size and hijabs being banned? As far as I know, pentacles nor any other Pagan jewelry have been added to that particular list. However, I will check and get back to you.


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