Human beings have always worried about keeping love safe – long before dating apps, people turned to symbols, small objects and rituals that promised protection for the heart and for the home.
This overview is written by a relationship expert from Dating.com free registration so modern singles can look for love online while also being curious about how older cultures tried to protect love offline.
Whether you personally believe in magic or not, amulets and talismans are a fascinating window into what different cultures value in a relationship: loyalty, fertility, respect, prosperity, or simply the strength to stay together when life gets complicated. Many couples still use these objects today, even if only as a sweet tradition or a reminder of their promises.
Below is a world tour of charms connected with love, marriage and long-term partnership. Think of it as a cultural playlist: you might feel drawn to one symbol more than others, or you and your partner might decide to “adopt” a charm from a country that means something to you.
Global Love Talismans and What They Mean
1. Ireland – The Claddagh Ring
The famous Claddagh ring shows two hands holding a heart, topped with a crown. Each element has a message: hands for friendship, heart for love, crown for loyalty. Traditionally, Irish couples wear it in different ways to show their status: heart pointing outward if they’re open to love, inward if they’re taken or married.
For a long-term relationship, a Claddagh ring can act as a tiny everyday reminder: “We started as friends, we chose love, and we promise loyalty.”
2. Turkey – The Nazar Bead Against the Evil Eye
In Turkey, and across much of the Mediterranean, people believe that envy and bad wishes can damage good fortune. The deep blue glass nazar boncuğu, shaped like an eye, is meant to push away this “evil eye.”
Couples often hang a nazar bead in their home, pin one to a baby’s clothing after birth, or keep a small charm near the bed or on car keys. It’s less about superstition and more about saying: “Our happiness is precious; we will protect it together.”
3. India – Mangalsutra and Marriage Bangles
In many Hindu communities, a married woman receives a mangalsutra – a black-and-gold beaded necklace with a pendant – during the wedding ceremony. It’s considered a powerful symbol of the bond between husband and wife.
Red and green glass or gold bangles can also signal marriage and are sometimes believed to protect the husband’s life. When you hear the gentle sound of bangles in an Indian home, it’s not just jewellery – it’s a reminder of vows, shared duty and care.
4. Japan – En-Musubi Omamori
In Japan, people buy small cloth amulets called omamori at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples. For relationships, the key word is “en-musubi” – tying bonds. These charms are often pink or red, decorated with hearts or knot patterns.
Couples may each carry an en-musubi omamori in their bag, wallet or car. They’re never opened; the power is believed to stay inside the fabric. Even if you’re not religious, the idea is sweet: two people each carrying a little symbol that says, “I’m choosing you, and I hope our paths stay tied together.”
5. China – Double Happiness and Red Thread
In Chinese culture, the character for “double happiness” (囍) is everywhere at weddings – cut out of red paper, embroidered on cushions, engraved on jewellery. It represents two individuals joining their joy into one shared life.
Another romantic motif is the red thread of fate: a belief that an invisible red string connects people who are meant to be together. Some couples wear red bracelets or anklets to echo this legend, as if to say, “We trust that fate tied this knot; now it’s our turn to take care of it.”
6. Italy – The Cornicello and Protective Horns
Italy is famous for its small cornicello charms – curved “horns” often made of red coral, gold or silver. Traditionally they’re used against bad luck and envy, including envy of a happy couple or a growing family.
A husband or wife might wear a tiny cornicello on a chain or keep one in the kitchen, the heart of the home. It’s not specifically a love charm, but in practice it often becomes one, meant to shield the marriage from outside negativity and drama.
7. Latin America – Saint Anthony and Wedding Tokens
In many Latin American countries, Saint Anthony of Padua is considered a powerful helper in love and marriage. Single people sometimes turn his statue upside down until he “delivers” a partner; married couples may keep a small image of him in their bedroom or near the front door.
Another tradition is the use of arras – 13 wedding coins blessed during the ceremony, symbolising shared prosperity and trust. Some couples keep these coins in a special box as a talisman for financial stability and generosity within the marriage.
8. West Africa – Cowrie Shells and Love Bracelets
In parts of West Africa, cowrie shells have long been connected with fertility, wealth and feminine power. They’re used in divination, but also sewn into clothes and jewellery.
A couple might exchange cowrie bracelets or keep a small cowrie shell in a shared box of important objects. The meaning is layered: “may our home be abundant, may our intimacy be strong, and may our future family be protected.”
9. Russia and Eastern Europe – Wedding Icons
In Orthodox Christian tradition, many Russian and Eastern European couples receive a pair of icons (holy images) at their wedding – often one of Jesus and one of Mary. These icons may be blessed in church and then placed in the home, sometimes near the bed or in a corner dedicated to prayer.
For believers, the icons are more than decoration. They represent moral guidance, patience, forgiveness and the idea that marriage is not just a romantic contract but a spiritual journey.
10. Modern Global Talismans – From Lock Bridges to Couple Bracelets
Not all relationship amulets are ancient. Today couples create their own small rituals:
- Padlocks on bridges, keys thrown into the river as a symbol of “unbreakable” love.
- Matching bracelets or rings bought on a joint trip.
- A shared playlist, photo, or inside joke turned into a small tattoo or charm.
These modern talismans might not have centuries of tradition behind them, but they play the same role: a daily reminder that love is something you choose and maintain, not just something that happens.
Do Talismans Really “Save” a Relationship?
If you ask any Dating.com expert, they’ll tell you the same thing: no charm can replace communication, respect and emotional work. A necklace or ring cannot fix constant criticism or silence.
But objects have psychological power. A ring you twist when you’re angry can remind you of the promise you made. A small bead hanging in your kitchen can make you pause before saying something cruel. A shared charm that you both chose might become a symbol of “we are on the same team.”
In that sense, talismans are less about magic and more about mindfulness. They give you a physical anchor for the values you want in your love life: patience, fidelity, kindness, courage.
Whether you’re married, dating, or just starting to talk to someone new online, you can borrow any of these traditions, adapt them, or invent your own. The real spell is the daily choice to care – the charm is just there to help you remember.
