Gorgeous Vintage 18K Gold Moonstone Evil Eye Ring

I could not stop looking at this one - a dreamy little evil eye ring in warm 18K gold, mid-century and most likely Swedish, x-ray and acid tested for 18K. The round moonstone cabochon sits in a smooth bezel at the centre of an open, eye-shaped frame of doubled gold wire sweeping out toward the band, so she really does watch over you like a tiny guardian.

The evil eye is one of the oldest protective symbols we know - for thousands of years, across the Mediterranean and far beyond, an eye worn on the body was believed to catch envious glances and turn bad luck away before it could ever reach you. A gaze for a gaze. I love that a Scandinavian goldsmith took that ancient idea and gave it this cool, sculptural mid-century shape - protection, but make it modernist.

And the stone could not be more perfect for it: moonstone has that soft, milky glow that seems to drift under the surface when you move your hand - almost as if the eye is alive. I have written about why moonstone does that here: What Is Moonstone? And about the smooth, domed cut here: What Is a Cabochon?

She fits like a size 7.5 US and is in excellent condition with normal signs of age.