Love and peace charms remain ubiquitous in our day and age, especially in the DIY crafting community. While the main peace sign in the 1970s remains relevant, there are many other symbols that people appreciate, and if you start designing jewelry, you can easily find the suitable types of charms that will bring your ideas to life. Messages of love and peace are universal, and you will be surprised at how the message of a jewelry piece changes alongside the combination of charms you use. Of course, it would help if you worked with suitable peace sign charms for jewelry making. Don’t settle for anything less, and you’re sure to bring out the best in your DIY jewelry.
Where Do Peace Charms Take Inspiration?
The dove, olive branch, broken rifle, white rose, or poppy is all nearly universal peace signs (including the “V” sign).
However, the peace symbol is one of the most well-known and widely utilized symbols globally, especially during marches and protests. Its origins are in the United Kingdom, where graphic artist Gerald Holtom created it in February 1958 as a symbol against nuclear weapons.
The peace symbol was first used at a rally of the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War on April 4, 1958, which included a march from London to Aldermaston. The marchers carried 500 of Holtom’s peace symbols on sticks, half of which were black on a white backdrop and the other half were white on a green background.
The symbol became the emblem for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the United Kingdom, making the design associated with that Cold War cause.
Holtom sketched a basic circle with three lines inside of it. The lines inside the circle depict the simplified positions of two semaphore letters (a mechanism for sending information over long distances using flags, such as from ship to ship). For example, “Nuclear disarmament” was represented by the letters “N” and “D.” A person forms the “N” by holding a flag in each hand and aiming them at a 45-degree angle toward the ground.
Bayard Rustin, an advocate of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., marched from London to Aldermaston in 1958. After being impressed by its efficacy in political demonstrations, he took the peace symbol to the United States. It was initially used in civil rights marches and demonstrations in the early 1960s.
It began to appear in protests and marches against the escalating Vietnam War in the late 1960s. During this period of antiwar protest, it became ubiquitous, appearing on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other items. The emblem has grown so closely associated with the antiwar movement that it has become an iconic symbol for the entire era, a modern-day equivalent of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In addition, the peace symbol has earned international renown — it can be spotted on the Saravejo, Berlin Wall, and Prague in 1968 when Soviet tanks arrived in Czechoslovakia — and has been discovered whenever freedom and peace are threatened.
The peace symbol was purposefully not copyrighted, allowing everyone to use it for any medium freely. As a result, its message is timeless, and it is available to everyone who wants to utilize it to promote peace.
What Are Other Peace Charms?
Olive Branch
The olive branch has been used to symbolize peace in Western civilization since at least the 5th century BC in Greece. Olive branches were thought to represent plenty and ward off evil spirits by the ancient Greeks, and an olive branch was one of Eirene’s qualities, the Greek goddess of peace.
The Roman poet Virgil identified the ‘plump olive’ with Pax and used the olive branch as a symbol of peace in Aeneid, and she appeared on Roman Imperial coins with an olive branch. In Greek mythology, another goddess, Athene, gave the olive tree to the people of Athens, who honored her by naming the city after her.
Because it took years for the trees to grow fruit for the harvest in the early days of olive agriculture, it was assumed that anyone who planted olive groves might expect a lengthy era of tranquility. Furthermore, all state battles were put on hold during the Olympic Games, and the champions were given olive branch crowns to wear.
Dove
For several millennia, the dove has been a sign of peace and purity. It was a sign of love and regeneration of life in Greek mythology, while a dove holding a sword symbolized the end of the battle in ancient Japan. Early Christians often depicted baptism with a dove on their tombstones. After the biblical floodwaters receded, Noah sent out a dove, which returned with an olive leaf, to symbolize that the Biblical flood was finished and life had returned to Earth. Since then, the dove has represented rescue and God’s pardon in the Christian faith. When the dove was chosen as the emblem for the World Peace Congress in 1949, Pablo Picasso transformed it into a modern symbol of peace.
Mistletoe
In many cultures, mistletoe is a sacred plant and is associated with peace and love. Most people are accustomed with the Christmas tradition of kissing under the mistletoe, which some believe originated in Scandinavian mythology: the goddess Freya’s son was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, so she declared it would always be a symbol of peace in his honor, and as a result, it was frequently hung in doorways as a sign of friendship. Hanging mistletoe at your door was also thought to ward off evil spirits by the ancient Druids, and tribes would halt warring for some time if they came across a tree bearing mistletoe.
Rainbow
The rainbow is an ancient and worldwide symbol of peace that frequently reflects the relationship between humanity and their gods. It was related to Iris, the goddess who conveyed messages from the gods on Mount Olympus in Greek folklore. The rainbow was a bridge stuck between the gods and the Earth in Scandinavian mythology. A rainbow appeared in the Bible to show Noah that the flood was finished and God had forgiven his people. The rainbow is a familiar symbol for marriage in Chinese culture since the colors symbolize the unification of yin and yang. Many prominent movements for peace and the environment now utilize the rainbow as a symbol.
