Black spinel is a magnesium aluminium oxide, its colour a deep, opaque black with a vitreous lustre that gives it a surface quality closer to polished jet or fine onyx than to most black gemstones. It is found primarily in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and parts of Africa, and has historically been confused with other black stones, including black sapphire and black diamond due to the depth and intensity of its colour. Cut into cubes, it takes on a graphic, architectural quality: each stone a precise point of deep black, the flat faces catching the light with a clean, high contrast that is entirely its own.
Black spinel is associated with protection and grounding, with the root chakra and the energy of boundaries and strength. It is said to deflect negative energy, to support those who need to act from a place of clarity and conviction, and to bring a quality of focused, purposeful calm. It is a stone of quiet authority, not loud, not decorative in the conventional sense, but present in a way that is difficult to ignore. Paired with the hamsa hand, one of the oldest protective symbols in the world, the combination carries a layered and considered meaning.
The hamsa hand is found across Middle Eastern, North African, and Mediterranean cultures for thousands of years. Representing the open hand of protection, it is worn as a talisman against negative energy and as a symbol of strength, blessing, and good fortune. A symbol that carries meaning across traditions and borders, and has done so for millennia.
These earrings feature gold vermeil hamsa hand charms, each with a drop of four tiny cube-shaped black spinel stones and gold vermeil accent beads suspended below. The cube cut gives the drop a clean, architectural quality, the deep black of the spinel sitting in precise contrast against the warm gold of the vermeil, a pairing that is both striking and refined. The whole design hangs from gold vermeil V-shaped earwires, a clean, elegant finish that keeps the focus on the charm and the drop.
Set in gold vermeil; sterling silver with a thick layer of 24K gold, chosen for its quality and its longevity, a step above plated jewellery and a considered alternative to solid gold.
Handcrafted at Rachel Hartley Atelier. Arrives gift-ready.
