When the dancers of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo arrived in America from Paris in the '30s, they came wearing brooches of their beloved winged goddess Gamayun, one of the top deities in the Russian pantheon of religious mythology. (It's said one way Russian pagans finally came to accept Christianty was that the church allowed them to retain Gamayun in the church's belief-system hierarchy, which made the whole concept more palatable.) Gamayun, half bird and half woman, is an all-knowing goddess and ultimate keeper of secrets, both about gods and human beings. She knows all fates, and has many attributes, including the hypnotic voice of a siren, and bringing blessings of happiness, peace and prosperity. But the aspect Americans learned and then highlighted was her granting or promoting ideal marriages and her help in locating the perfect husband for a woman. All you had to do was honor her by wearing her proudly, for all to see, on one's clothing. While Russian ballerinas reportedly wore precious-gems versions of the gorgeous Gamayun, the first American iteration was created of Catalin or Bakelite. (See it in another of my listings.) It caused a furor at Christmas in 1937 and was coveted by single American women (or by their mothers).

In this listing, it's a much later Gamayun, from just 26 years ago, by a jewelry artist, probably of Russian heritage, judging by her name (can't completely decipher it, but ends in 'off'). Guess hand-painted on what, not sure. Large and colorful, a hand-made piece of jewelry art.

Evidently everything's coming up Gamayun. Start a collection!