Jewellery is a type of accessory that is worn by women of all ages. With the changing trends, it has also been introduced in male accessories. We all know the various types of jewellery available to us. The necklace is one such type of jewellery. The amulet is such a type of jewellery that is considered like a necklace.
Necklace vs Amulet
The main difference between Necklace and Amulet is that Necklace is worn for fashion whereas wearing an Amulet is worn for protection from evil powers or to keep danger away. A necklace is worn around the neck whereas an Amulet can be worn around the neck, waist, wrist or forearm.
A necklace is a piece of jewellery that is worn for fashion and to complement one’s outfit. They are particularly worn around the neck. The main component of a necklace is a chain or string that can be worn around the neck. This chain or string is made of cotton cord, gold, silver or any other metal. To give the necklace a graceful look, pearls, beads, diamonds, stones, gems, and other precious stones can be used.
An amulet is a piece of jewellery that is worn by people who believe that it will protect them from negativities or evil eyes and keep them away from dangers. It is worn in any part of the body like the waist, wrist, neck or finger. An amulet can be in the form of any gems, stones, statues. The origin of the amulet is Egypt.
Comparison Table Between Necklace and Amulet
| Parameters of Comparison | Necklace | Amulet |
| Meaning | It is worn as a fashion statement. | It is worn as an object for protection. |
| Worn at | It is worn around the neck. | It can be worn around the neck, wrist, waist, finger. It may be carried with oneself in the form of a statue or gem or coin. |
| For closure | A hook is a must in a necklace to tie it around the neck. | The hook is not a compulsory element in amulets. |
| Origin | First founded in Africa in 50000 BP | First founded in Egypt in 25000 BC |
| Made of | It can be made of precious stones, metals, beads etc. | It can be made of gems, stones, coins, clothes etc. |
| Purpose | It is a piece of jewellery that complements one’s dressing sense. | It is not for fashion but protection against evils and dangers. |
What is Necklace?
A necklace is a piece of fashion jewellery that is worn as an accessory. It symbolises a fashion statement and is worn to enhance one’s look. It is particularly made of string or band or cotton cord.
The cord or band acts as a base for the necklace. It can be made using beading wire, elastic floss, rayon thread, leather, nylon material, synthetic material, waxed cotton, cotton cord, thread, silk, silken material, aluminium wire or precious material like gold, silver.
The additions are done to this base wire to give the necklace a complete look. To make the necklaces look beautiful various elements or materials are used. Some of them are stones, diamonds, pearls, ruby stones, fancy stones, gems, beads etc. To make necklaces look more attractive, pendants are threaded in the base cord of the necklace. A pendant is a small piece of jewellery that is attached to the necklace.
To give the necklaces a unique design different techniques like braiding, twisting, knotting of the chain or cord is done. One important element which completes a necklace is its hook. Hook helps in attaching or joining both the ends of the necklace to complete the look.
The different variants of necklaces available in the market are choker, princess, opera, multi-chain, bib, rope, festoon necklace.
What is Amulet?
An amulet is a type of jewellery that is worn by people who believe that it can protect them from evil eyes, to keep diseases or dangers away. It is not worn particularly around the neck but can be worn on the wrist, waist, forearm or finger too. It doesn’t have to be in the form of a chain, it can be in the form of a finger-ring, bracelet too. It can also be in the form of coins, statues or any such type of small thing.
It may be made of gems or stones. Also, it can be in the form of leather or cloth. It doesn’t have to have a hook as one can tie a knot or can wear it in the form of a ring or simply keep it in a wallet or pocket. It doesn’t symbolise any fashion trend.
Some of the well-known amulets are cobra amulet, headset amulet, isis amulet, bes-image amulet, winged scarab amulet, fish pendant. Amulets don’t cause any adverse effect on the lives of people.
Main Differences Between Necklace and Amulet
- A necklace is worn as a fashion statement whereas an amulet is worn as protection from evil eyes, dangers and illness.
- A necklace can only be worn around the neck but amulets can be worn on different parts of the body or can be kept with oneself in the form of coins or statues.
- Necklaces are mainly made of beads, precious stones and different metals. In the case of amulets, clothes, leather, stones can be used to make them.
- Necklaces were first founded in Africa in 50000 BP and amulets were first founded in Egypt in 25000 BC.
- A hook is a must in a necklace to tie it around the neck. But amulets can be worn without a hook as they can be knotted or tied.
Conclusion
We must understand that necklaces and amulets are different things and they cannot be used interchangeably. Necklaces are an item of jewellery that are fashion statements and are used to enhance one’s look. But amulets are a type of jewellery that is not worn for fashion instead they are worn to protect a person from dangers.
Necklaces are mainly made from precious stones and gems and are available in different variants. On the other hand, amulets are made of stones, gems or leather or non-precious stones and they don’t have much variety in them.
Necklaces are only worn around the neck and must have a hook but amulets can be worn on different parts of the body or can be carried by one in a pocket or purse and they may not have a hook.
So before buying a necklace or amulet one needs to know the difference between them so that one can make a correct choice.
References
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/20703372
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/43072435