Brazil.superstitious Amulets Against The Evil Eye. Silver. Nineteenth Century

Superstitious amulets against the evil eye.
Brazil. Silver.
Nineteenth century.
So-called Balangada were worn as bracelets or connected to the belt.
Symbols of fertility: garnet, a pineapple, and the superstitious hand

Balangada have the most extraordinarily evocative histories: they were worn at the waist by black and mulatto women, often indentured, mostly in the Brazilian coastal state of Bahia, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as amulets. They were worn suspended from a heavy chain that went around the waist, often accompanied by thick silver bracelets, a multitude of heavy silver rings and necklaces. Typically, such sets were added to as their owners could afford to buy more items.Balangada were made by black silversmiths and illustrate the coexistence of African superstitions with Christian beliefs in Brazil.