Jewelry is most commonly understood as a small decorative item worn for personal

adornment. Elaborate, artistic, hand-made jewelry is historically and culturally relevant in telling us about the beliefs and traditions of different cultures and civilizations. Jewelry is often thought of as an identity object, but I suggest that amulet and talisman jewelry are not identity objects. Amulets and talismans are objects that interact with the wearer and they do not aim to communicate with others about ones identity. My artwork has begun with the quest of making forward-thinking objects or contemporary amulets. Amulets and talismans were once created to protect us and we put our faith into them in order to answer the unsolved mysteries of the universe. Illness, luck, wealth, evil, death, birth, all provided (and still provide) uncertainty. However, with modern advances in technology, we might assume that the need for such magical objects becomes absolute.

Within contemporary Western society amulets and talisman might have become less popular and less widespread, but not extinct. I investigate how spiritual objects have been replaced by safety objects, like the bulletproof vest, the life preserver, and the helmet and I question whether these objects have any similarities or overlap with the traditional amulet or talisman. We may not recognize the existence of amulets in our daily lives, but many of the objects we keep close to us become more than functional or aesthetic objects. These objects can represent our faith and our trust in the ritual and routine in our lives.

Through research into historical and contemporary amulets, I have developed a body of artwork I have titled the Life Preserver. The Life Preserver is a series of necklaces in the form of life jackets that blend the idea of the contemporary safety object with a spiritual amulet. These amulet Life Preservers challenge the common understanding of jewelry through its use of material and its form. I hope to challenge both the jewelry field and myself to believe in the powers of these necklaces as a source of protection and spiritual strength.