Adornment - Of Trinkets and Medallions and Such

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

The above photo is a picture of some of my favorite jewelry pieces tucked away in my jewelry box. It was recently stated to me that women should not wear jewelry. It's also been said to me that some of my pieces are satanic or occult related, and, it was hinted that I would go to hell for wearing such items.

All of this made me chuckle a bit. However, I do feel the need to touch on the subject of jewelry - whether or not it is against God to wear jewelry in general, and whether or not certain pieces could be against God. Yes, in 1 Peter we see that women should not wear elaborate adornments. But, what is elaborate? And why should it not be worn? What exactly is meant by this?

“I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’
“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’
“Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. (Genesis 24:47-48)

So, in 1 Peter, we're told not to wear jewelry, and yet in Genesis (as well as many other areas within the Bible), we see jewelry as being given/worn. So what does this tell us?

First and foremost, I think it is important to consider the time period and culture from which the Biblical writings come from.  In Biblical times, jewelry was often a status symbol. In today's society (unless of course it's one of those diamond rocks too big to fit on a finger, and with too big a price tag to be in 99.9% people's budget), it usually isn't this status symbol. However, I do believe this verse may be warning people against wearing that rock, especially when you consider that many people rich enough to show off spendy little trinkets aren't very good in their hearts. It's not that wearing jewelry is wrong, it's that wearing it to prove you're something, or to hide who you truly are, or to draw people's attention from who you are inside is wrong.

That said, the way I take those verses is not that we should not wear jewelry. It's that we should make sure we're taking care of the kind of people we are on the inside, and not worrying about how we look on the outside to the world. Just because you wear fine clothes and beautiful jewelry doesn't mean you're a fine and beautiful person on the inside.


Now then, as to the "satanic" nature of my personal trinket collection....

1. Writer's Medallion
2. Cross
3. Ankh
4 - 6: Dragons
7 - 9: Crystals in a dragon's claw

1. The writer's medallion is a little trinket my husband found for me on Amazon. Basically, this medallion is engraved with various symbols and names of saints and angels. And, it is supposed to give the wearer help in writing. No, I do not believe there is a special power in the medallion. However, it is very interesting researching the names of those engraved on it.

2. Of course, we all believe crosses are not occult or satanic... they are Christian. However, one I do not have pictured above is a rather large black cross... with a definite "goth" look to it. Because of the "goth" nature, many do not like it and think it's satanic. I'd also like to point out that the cross was technically not even a Christian symbol until the 4th century.

3. The ankh - the symbol of the vampire. Or Egyptian gods. But essentially, the ankh is a cross. It, as well as the cross we know, were used in pagan sun-god worship. For me now, I simply love the ankh. And while in pagan sun-god worship, it was a symbol of reincarnation, I see it as a symbol of eternity, no different than the crosses we wear today.

4-6: They're just dragons people.... mythological and very awesome creatures.

7-9: These crystals held within a dragon's claw - I have heard many say these are amulets, witchcraft, blah blah blah. It's a necklace. But, there is a story behind these for me. When I was 17, my life wasn't that great. Having been through abuse and rape and everything unpleasant, I had hit an all time low. Depression was slowing killing me. A friend of mine used to always wear these pendants, and I'd often try to playfully steal them from him. One day he explained to me that they give the wearer courage, strength and protection, and he gave me one. While I do not believe they actually do give the wearer this, they do for me simply because wearing them reminds me of his words, and reminds me that I do have courage and strength within me.

Anyway, the lesson behind this lengthy blog post - just because something isn't a Christian cross (and a nice pretty one at that), does not mean it is evil or satanic. Just because someone is wearing something which could be seen as evil or satanic, doesn't mean the person is this way or intends it that way.

And just because someone is wearing jewelry, does not mean that person is going against the Bible!