I know a few others have written about the Nazar for their protection challenge, and we even have more posts on it throughout the forum, but this is something new to me and I wanted to write about it.
I had recently been looking for a Nazar amulet but I wanted a very specific kind, i.e. I basically wanted to make sure that it was handmade and that my jewelry purchase was supporting a small business. I looked in my local mall a while ago and, while I found a small stall that sold a lot of Nazar amulets, I could not be sure that what I was purchasing was what I wanted. I’m very picky and particular when it comes to things like this.
Fast forward to the beginning of this month when I started browsing listings on Etsy. Honestly, even on Etsy it is hard to tell if what you are buying is handcrafted or just drop-shipped, especially when so many listings from different shops all look the same. Anyway, I found a wonderful shop, checked out the artist’s Instagram, and made my purchase.
Now, I originally did not know much about the Nazar other than it is meant to protect the wearer from the evil eye, il malocchio, mal de ojo, etc. But what is Mal de Ojo? Well, it’s the Evil Eye! The concept of the evil eye exists in many cultures around the world and the Nazar 
is used to ward the wearer from the affliction of the evil eye.
Like most cultures, we believe in Mal de Ojo, or Ojo for short. This is what others call the evil eye, or a blast of negativity sent to you by someone’s jealous glance. Such harm can come from friends, family, strangers, or enemies who look upon you with envy or malice. Ojo is easily contracted and arguably the most common form of psychic/magical attack a person will face in their lifetime. The symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue, fainting, seizures, sudden illness, bad luck, crossed (jinxed) conditions, and more. What most people don’t know is that its easiest for friends and family to give Ojo to one another, and it’s often transmitted by a compliment. Someone who comes up to you and says, “I love your hair, it’s so beautiful! I wish I had hair like that…” is likely inadvertently giving you Ojo, especially if their own hair is thinning or unbeautiful in some way.
There are many ways to cure an attack of Mal de Ojo. In Mexican culture it is often believed that if the person touches you while they say it, it neutralizes the effect by sort of grounding it like electricity. I don’t find this to be true and have often felt that the touch intensifies the effect of Ojo instead. When you have been given Ojo by someone, it’s often important to work quickly. A limpia con huevo is a very common method of removing it, as are barridas or baños with plants like rue, which has a particular affinity for removing and blocking Mal de Ojo.
– American Brujeria by J. Allen Cross; pg. 10
Nazar
Now, Nazar is a word deriving from Arabic, meaning sight , surveillance , attention , and other related concepts. It is an eye-shaped amulet that is believed to protect the wearer from the evil eye. I can’t find any reputable sources, books, or information that I have access to on the history of the Nazar, but I did find that it is believed to have originated in Egypt. It is possible the Nazar comes from a time in Egypt with the Eye of Horus and the color 
blue being connected to protection and the divine.
Either way, I am happy and content with my Nazar jewelry and it seems to be doing its job of protecting me against the evil eye.
Sources and Further Reading
Wikipedia Article - Nazar Amulet
Jewelry - Nazar Boncugo Meaning
Made in Turkey - Turkish Evil Eye
Britannica - Evil Eye
Continuing the discussion from 
Weekly Witchy Challenge - Powerful Protection
Do you feel like it works well?
Who would have thought compliments could be hiding a hex (of sorts). It kind of reminds me about the Trojan horse- an attack wrapped up to look like a gift, whether it is intentional or otherwise. Really interesting!
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