Sicilian Testa di Moro Charm Leather Cord Necklace

Our Sicilian ‘Testa di Moro’ charm leather cord necklace is a stunning jewellery piece that will surely turn heads. This handcrafted natural leather cord necklace is decorated with a medley of Sicilian inspired charms such as porcelain Sicilian pine cones, Sicilian fruits and flowers, secured along the leather cord necklace at various intervals. The centre of the necklace is adorned with a large handmade and hand painted porcelain Sicilian ‘Testa di Moro’ Moor head charm available in your choice of the male or female head, complete with a beautifully crafted glass evil eye chilli charm. This necklace secures with a gold plated brass lobster clasp.

The ‘Testa di Moro’ or Moor Head is a well-known Sicilian symbol that is instantly recognisable and if you have ever visited Sicily you will recall seeing these stunning ceramic heads everywhere. The legend of these moor heads dates back to the 11^th Century during the Moors domination in Sicily, there was a young girl who lived in the Kalsa neighbourhood in Palermo. Every day she would spend time on her balcony tending to her plants and flowers. One day a young Moor passing by saw her and was captured by her beauty and declared his love to her, which was immediately returned. After some time, the girl discovered that her lover would have to leave her to return to his country where his wife and children were waiting for him. She plotted her revenge: Whilst he slept she beheaded him and used it as a vase for her lovely flowered balcony, so that her lover would stay with her forever. It’s a sinister story but the outcome was these stunning decorative moor heads that you find all around Sicily which make for beautiful decorations so we had to decorate this piece with them too.

The Sicilian pine cone is a symbol of fertility, life, immortality, and divinity. The seeds of the pine cone represent the symbol of fertility and regenerative force. In ancient Sicilian tradition the pine cone was used to adorn the bedroom of newlyweds to wish the formation of a large family. 

The lemons in Sicily are special and quite different from lemons that we find elsewhere. They have unique qualities that make them very desirable and much tastier and are considered the best in the world. They are also a renowned symbol of Sicily.

Please Note: The porcelain charms adorned on this leather cord necklace are hand crafted and hand painted. Therefore there may be darker and lighter areas of paint strokes on the charms, and/or flecks of paint in areas. The porcelain charms are very fragile and need to be handled with extra care and attention. If they are knocked or dropped they will crack.