Pendants provide a golden opportunity to propel your appeal to further heights, send a message, or tell more about yourself. Indeed, a pendant is a ‘talking’ piece of jewelry, just instead of words, it uses the power of imagery. An image, shape, and even color can have a profound meaning. We have already talked about meanings inherent in biker pendants and their symbols, it’s time to take a closer look at the numerous types of sterling silver pendants available on the market in general and here, at Bikerringshop, in particular.
Types of Sterling Silver Pendants
First, let’s define a pendant. The word itself came from Latin ‘pendere’ and it means ‘something that hangs down’. Not every pendant is a piece attached to a necklace. There are also pendant earrings and pendants for bracelets. We are not going to talk about the latter though. In this post, we’re going to focus on things you can attach to your necklace.
Thousands of years ago, people used natural materials and primitive techniques to craft pendants. Even then, these ornaments hold a multitude of meanings, from purely decorative to protective and identification ones. Today's pendants have retained all the old meanings and acquired many new ones. The significance given to a pendant greatly impacts its look. Hence, we have so many types of pendants.
Award Pendants – these are hanged on the neck to mark an achievement. A medal given as a prize in sports events is the best example of this type.
Identification marks – these pendants carry an inscription or symbol that denotes a person’s belonging to a certain group or community. For example, if you wear an emblem of a rock band, it unambiguously indicates that you are one of its many fans.
Means of ornamentation – these pendants perform a single function of being beautiful. This is probably the most numerous category of pendants, which includes various sizes, shapes, designs, auxiliary materials, inlays, etc.
Means of ostentation – if you have ever seen huge dollar sign pendants so fervently loved by rappers, you know what ostentation jewelry means. These pendants don’t have to necessarily carry dollar signs but they are always large, extravagant, made of precious metals, and adorned with precious gems. They scream of luxury and wealth (but, unfortunately, they stay silent when it comes to the sense of taste).
Self-affirmation pendants – another type of jewelry that brings ‘I’ to the fore. These pendants feature names, initials, nicknames, or images associated with their owners. They are, so to say, a way to please one’s ego. However, a few centuries ago, such pendants along with signet rings served as a personal stamp and seal for letters.
Protection amulets – this group includes amulets, talismans, as well as religious symbols, and we are going to talk about them in more detail below.
Amulet Pendants
Amulets are believed to attract happiness and ward off evil forces and misfortune (including diseases, failure in business, etc.). They perform a pronounced protective function by neutralizing negative energies and shielding off a person against curses and jinxes.
The strongest amulets are those items that faithfully served ancestors and passed down from generation to generation. However, even relatively modern pendants that you acquire on your own may develop a tremendous power. But to make your amulet work, you should ‘tune’ it so that your energies synchronize as well as ‘clean’ it from any negative influences it might have accumulated in the past. To keep your amulet pristine and fully ‘charged’, you can’t let other people touch it. Similarly to this, under no circumstances can you wear other people's amulets.
Materials your amulet pendants are made of are very important in terms of enhancing their protective properties. Our ancestors believed that amulets made of precious metals and stones have more power than those crafted of inexpensive metals. We don’t know whether it is true but if it is, sterling silver pendants by Bikerringshop are good candidates to become your personal amulets.
Be that as it may, the most important thing when it comes to amulets and their materials is the feelings one puts into them. Even the simplest pendant carved of a piece of rock will possess incredible power if it is made with love. That’s why the most precious amulets are hand-made, especially if they are crafted by you personally or someone who cares about you.
The symbolism inherent in amulet pendants plays an important role as well. Runes, various geometric shapes, numbers, as well as images revered by world cultures enhance amulets’ protective properties and make them more personalized. Crosses and crucifixes along with symbols common for Christianity and other religions are one more prime example of amulet jewelry. The same goes for horseshoes, lucky coins, items featuring images of your patron saint, etc.
The powers and capabilities of an amulet depend on your attitude towards it. You will render it powerless if you do not take it seriously or you think that these magical powers are nothing but a fairy tale. You must let an amulet know that you believe in it and count on it to make it work.
Talisman Pendants
Talismans are very similar to amulets. Both are believed to have certain supernatural powers. However, whereas the latter is focused on protection, the former is designed to enhance or develop a quality or ability in a person who wears it.
The word talisman derived from the Greek Telesma - "enchantment", "effect". It is a pendant or other item that is supposed to give its owner luck, strength, courage, wealth, health, happiness in love, and whatever he or she wishes for. Thus, talismans share their powers with a person who owns them while amulets don’t transfer their properties to anyone; they prefer to keep them to themselves.
Many talismans have a narrowly targeted action. For instance, they can help you succeed in business negotiations but they are helpless when it comes to happiness in love. Or a lucky number is going to be helpful in financial matters but of no use in other aspects of your life.
Just like amulets, talismans have an invincible bond with their owners. They discover qualities inherent in him or her and enhance them if it is necessary in a particular situation. At the same time, they help block traits that impede success, progress, or achievement of one’s goals.
Unlike amulets, talismans are often personified. They acquire shapes and silhouettes of animals, plants, or people that share similar features and traits with the one they are intended for. A talisman that makes you stronger and bolder often features lion images and you if seek wisdom, your best bet is an owl pendant.
Again, talismans need you to believe in their powers. Otherwise, they will lose their properties completely. At the same time, you can’t just bank on your powerful pendant while doing nothing on your end. A talisman is able to endow you with strength, wisdom, persistence, etc. but it is you who must make every effort to achieve your goal.
Medallion
The word "medallion" occurred in ancient Rome. This was the name of round medals awarded to the heroes of military battles. Today, instead of pinning medallions onto clothes, we hang them on necklaces and wear them on our chests.
Medallions are either round or oval pendants with embossed or engraved symbols or inscriptions. They typically have a sentimental meaning (for example, in the Middle Ages, they carried an image of a loved one) as well as feature icons of saints or various religious symbolism. If you believe that your medallion gives you strength or helps you in any other way, it is fair to consider it your talisman.
Santa Muerte Medallion Pendant
Medals awarded for high achievements in sports are also medallions. Many award-winning individuals convert their prizes into medallions to always wear them close to their hearts. There is nothing new about this approach because our ancestors made and presented medals to commemorate important and memorable events.
Functional Pendants
Such pendants are not only beautiful, but they also fulfill some kind of practical function. For example, whistle pendants are common among shepherds, sailors and travelers often had small navigational and astronomical instruments that they attached to a chain and carried either around their necks or in a breast pocket. A couple of decades ago, watch pendants were a favorite accessory among fashionistas, and in the 19th century, this was the only way in which women could wear watches.
Today, functional pendants are not that rare but they are significantly inferior in popularity to traditional fashion accessories. This doesn’t come as a surprise because to make some tool compact, lightweight, and serviceable, not to mention to embellish it with patterns or inlays, is a tall order. Besides, this type of jewelry is pretty expensive.
The most common modern type of functional pendants is a flash drive pendant. It offers a convenient and discreet way to keep important information close at hand. More often than not, people who surround you won’t even notice that an ornate piece hanging around your neck accommodates a thumbstick.
Bikerringshop offers its own version of flash drive pendants. This one sports a grinning skull, a cross, and intricate carved patterns to let you carry your data storage with a style. You can combine it with a leather necklace it comes with or use it as a keychain.
Guitar Pick Holder
Offering an original way to display your love of music, this type of sterling silver pendants is actually two pieces: a pendant itself and a pick. We suggest that you keep this pick as an ornament instead of using it for its intended purpose. That being said, if you lose your go-to guitar pick and you need to play here and now, this one will help you out for a while.
The beauty of these holders is that you can flaunt them with and without a pick. We made sure to incorporate beloved music and biker symbols inside holder pendants so that they can display them when a pick is missing. At the same time, you can insert your own pick if you bother to trim it to fit inside the case.
Couple Pendants
This type of jewelry has many names – pendants for lovers, pendants for two, best friends pendants, etc. In any case, these pendants feature two parts and are intended for two people. The most common couple pendant is shaped like a heart. You need to divide it in two and give one of the halves to the person you love while keeping the other half to yourself. This romantic gesture shows that you give your heart to your lover.
Two-piece pendants are also very popular with best friends. They often sport an image of hearts, as well as items that usually go in pairs - hands, wings, a lock and a key, etc. An awesome idea is to give your dear friend or paramour a pendant featuring animals that stay faithful to a single partner such as swans, pigeons, or koi fish. Finally, if you’re seeking an original way to express your filings of love and affection, you’re going to enjoy sterling silver pendants looking like two pieces of a puzzle, a butterfly and a scoop net, a cat and fish, etc.
Are you in need of a great gift for your better half that showcases your mutual love for Gothic aesthetic? Bikerringshop has something to meet your need. Not only does this lock and key pendant look awesome, but also it carries a romantic meaning: you make me complete. Your paramour will love to wear a key to your heart.
Dog Tag Pendants
Dog tags are indispensable for people in the army. They are used around the globe to provide brief information about a soldier including his name and blood type. This helps identify soldiers on a battlefield and swiftly provide them with first aid. Originally, dog tags are made of aluminum or stainless steel.
In their reincarnation as fashion jewelry, dog tag pendants are constructed of a variety of materials; they even feature gemstone inlays. Still, they manage to retain their recognizable military look and a sense of masculinity. Strictly speaking, they are a popular accessory with combat veterans and those who pay homage to militarism.