Question about a sicilian necklace

[JessiaEW]

There is talk of a necklace in my family that is in the shape of a hand making either an "s" or "m" in sign language. Does anyone know the meaning of this necklace? where can i find more information? I've tried to google info and havent had any luck. Thanks in advance.

[johnnyonthespot]

[bad post - sorry]

[johnnyonthespot]

Do you mean something like the image below? According to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gestures ),

Fig sign is a gesture made with the hand and fingers curled and the thumb thrust between the middle and index fingers, or, rarely, the middle and ring fingers, forming the fist so that the thumb partly pokes out. In some areas of the world, the gesture is considered a good luck charm, in others it is considered an obscene gesture. The precise origin of the gesture is unknown, but many historians speculate that it refers to female genitalia. In ancient Greece, this gesture was a fertility and good luck charm designed to ward off evil. This usage has survived in Portugal and Brazil, where carved images of hands in this gesture are used in good luck talismans.

For reference, the hand gestures used by American Sign Language can be seen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sign_Language

[JessiaEW]

i havent seen the necklace personaly but i believe that is how it is said to look. So it really is no significance other than maybe a good luck charm? I was told that it MAY have something to do with mafioso..... but by what that says it is only a good luch charm or a female genitalia. HAHA I just wanted to get some other opinions on what it might mean.

[johnnyonthespot]

Well, I suspect that if I were a member of the mafia, I would be especially interested in good luck charms. Don't you think?

More info here: http://www.rubylane.com/shops/cameocout ... m/RL-00807

[JessiaEW]

HAHA yes, i would think so!! they probably needed all the good luck they could get! thank you for the link to the necklace! its interesting to see what it looks like. I forwarded it to my family to ask them if that is what it looks like. Hey, since you seem to be so good at this maybe you can help me out some way on the questions i had on the geneology forum.