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NATURAL MOTHER-of-PEARL SHELL MANO FICO REALISTICALLY CARVED HUMAN HAND
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Item # |
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207 0723
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Type of carving |
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Natural golden Mother-of-Pearl shell carving for pendant (or amulet / charm)
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Design |
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A beautiful 3-dimensional carved hand “Mano Fico Figa” hand gesture ~ finely carved natural shell by Balinese master-craftsmen.
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Material |
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Genuine natural golden Mother-of-Pearl shell
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Amount |
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1 (one) individual piece
* All photos are taken from the actual item *
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Weight |
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approx. 3.90 grams
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Size |
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Length / height: approx. 30.77 mm = 1.21 inches
Width: approx. 10.90 mm
Depth: approx. 9.04 mm
All measurements are taken at the widest points
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Perforation |
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This Mano Fico carving is not drilled.
~ this carving is not a ready to wear piece of jewelry
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Origin |
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The Mother-of-Pearl shell originates from Sumbawa Island / Indonesia ~ hand-carved in Bali by our in-house master craftsmen
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Color |
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Golden yellow
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Quality |
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Excellent deep and finely carved natural shell
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Treatment |
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None ~ 100 % natural shell and natural color without any enhancements
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Mano Fico |
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THE MANO FICO (FIG HAND)
The Mano Fico, also called figa, is an Italian amulet of ancient origin. Examples have been found from the Roman era, and it was also used by the Etruscans. Mano means "hand" and fico or figa means "fig," with the idiomatic slang connotation of a woman's genitals.
Whether made as an apotropaic gesture or worn as an amulet, the Mano Fico is used for magical protection against the evil eye. In this it resembles other hand gestures and hand images that ward off evil, including the Hamsa hand, the eye-in-hand, the Mano Cornuta (horned hand), and the interlocked thumb gesture. A regionally popular amulet, it is primarily found in Italy and in America among descendants of Italian immigrants. It also shows up on a Peruvian package amulet and in a South American charm vial, both reflecting colonial European influences.
The Mano Fico (fig hand, properly, ‘mano fica’) is an ancient obscene gesture, and is also one of the better known protective gestures against the evil eye. The thumb and fist gesture is an ancient representation of sexual union. The name is from the Italian word for the female vulva, fica, meaning fig (and also the origin of a well-known English obscenity).
The fig was associated by the Romans with female fertility and eroticism; the fruit was sacred to Bacchus. The gesture is used against the evil eye in the belief that an obscenity serves as a distraction to evil, even that demons are so repelled, that they flee at the sign.
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Definition Mother-of-Pearl |
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Mother-of-Pearl is produced by the Pinctada maxima mollusk ~ the South Sea pearl oyster
They are currently cultured in areas throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, primarily in Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines.
These waters are the native habitat of a large oyster known as Pinctada maxima. This oyster grows up to 12 inches in diameter and much larger than other saltwater oysters
There are two varieties of Pinctada maxima, the silver-lipped and the gold-lipped. The two are distinguished by their distinct coloration of the outer edge of the interior. This type of shell is known as mother-of-pearl, and is responsible for the coloration of the cultured pearls produced, therefore the name.
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Remarks |
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This finely detailed carved shell could make a stunning pendant, charm, amulet, a part of a necklace or other designer jewelry.
Gorgeous carving ~ ready to be made into beautiful piece of jewelry.
Don’t miss this opportunity to own this beautiful shell carving |
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