The evil eye is the oldest protective symbol people still wear, and this is the version you can put on in the morning: a twisted red cord with a gold tone eye at its centre, the iris in deep blue enamel, the rim set with clear stones. It closes on a slider, so you set the fit yourself.

What does the evil eye symbol mean?

The evil eye is worn to turn away a harmful look, and the charm works by looking back.

The belief is one of the most widely shared on earth. It turns up in Greece, Turkey, across the Middle East, through South Asia, around the Mediterranean and in Latin America, and it says roughly the same thing in each place: that envy and ill will can be carried in a glance, and that an eye worn openly meets that glance before it reaches you. Which is why the charm is an eye and not a shield. It is not hiding you. It is looking back on your behalf.

It is a symbol rather than a remedy, and it is worn as one. What it gives you is the thing people have always wanted from it: something to touch when you need reminding that you are not walking around unguarded.

Why is the string red?

Red is the colour of the protective cord in almost every tradition that has one, and pairing it with the eye stacks two separate ideas on the same wrist.

The red thread is its own tradition, older in some places than the eye, worn for luck and for safekeeping and tied on by somebody who wishes you well. The eye came from somewhere else entirely. They are not one tradition with two parts; they are two answers to the same worry that found each other, which is why this combination has become the one people reach for first.

Which wrist should you wear it on?

Most people wear it on the left, the side traditionally thought to receive.

The reasoning is that what you want to keep out comes in through the receiving hand, so the eye is set to watch that door. Plenty of people wear it on the right instead, usually because it is the hand they use less and the charm takes fewer knocks there. Neither is wrong, and the charm sits facing outward either way, which is the part that actually matters in the tradition.

Will it fit?

Yes. A small gold tone bead slides along the cord, so the bracelet opens out and draws in to wherever you want it and stays there.

It fits wrists up to 8.3 inches, which covers most. Slide the bead away from the charm to open the bracelet, slip it over your hand, then slide it back to snug the fit. There is no clasp to fasten one-handed and nothing to size in advance, and you can reset it any time it rides higher or lower than you like.

How do you look after it?

Keep it dry and the gold tone stays bright.

The setting is copper with a gold tone finish and the stones are cubic zirconia, both of which prefer to stay out of water. Take it off before swimming or a long shower, keep perfume and hand lotion off the cord, and wipe the charm with a soft dry cloth when it loses its shine. Stored somewhere dry between wears, it keeps its colour for years.

Details

• Item type: Red string evil eye bracelet
• Materials: Twisted red cord, copper with gold tone finish, cubic zirconia, blue enamel
• Charm: Evil eye, deep blue enamel iris, pave set rim
• Closure: Adjustable bolo slider, no clasp
• Fit: Adjustable, fits wrists up to 8.3" (21cm)
• Worn by: Unisex
• Care: Keep dry, wipe with a soft dry cloth

You will stop noticing it after a week. That is usually when people say it starts doing its job.