Nazar Bonjuk is a Turkish good-luck "evil eye" charm.
It was born of the age-old "evil eye" superstition
that one person can cast a spell on another. To prevent this,
Turkish artisans created a blue glass "eye" that "looks"
straight back at the spell-caster as if to say "I see what
you're doing, and you can't get away with it!"
It has no religious significance, and few people really
believe in the evil eye superstition anymore. But it's
such an enjoyable tradition, and a beautiful little piece
of craft-art, that you'll see Nazar Bonjuks all over
Turkey--especially on babies. No self-respecting Turkish
parents, no matter how worldly or sophisticated, would
allow their precious bundle of joy to spend an unguarded
moment without a Nazar Bonjuk pinned to its snuggly,
sunsuit or diaper.
Nazar Bonjuk evil eye charms are hand-crafted of blown
glass in Turkey, and appear in many shapes and sizes.
