Hamsa Hands by Valerie Caveglia

2025

Each hand starts with a laser cut birch wood model, which is covered and molded with paper clay. Both hand shapes are approximately 6" by 8", and are matted and framed from sizes 8"x 10" to slightly larger.

There are two styles of hands:

The traditional Middle Eastern shape, and a less common Western shape also known as a Milagro (Miracle) Hand in the Mexican culture.

Paint is applied, and then the adornments. After the hand is done, the frame, mat, or plaque is decorated to compliment, and after a lot of detail work, another beautiful hand emerges.

The Hamsa Hand

Influenced by her visits to Morocco, artist Valerie Caveglia presents a reinterpretation of a traditional cultural theme, the Hamsa Hand, and blends cultures into an art piece that is both meaningful and beautiful. She has meticulously handcrafted each design, drawing inspiration from her collection of ephemera and artifacts. Her framed Hamsa Hands are perfect for mounting on any wall or over a doorway.

The Hamsa Hand is a universal sign of protection, power and strength that dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. Known as the Hand of Fatima in Islam, the Hand of Miriam in Judaism, and the Hand of Mary in Christianity, it's believed to protect against the evil eye and al negative energies. The word "Hamsa" means "five" in Arabic, representing the fingers of the right hand. For Hindus and Buddhists, the hand and fingers symbolize chakras (energy flow in the body), the five senses, and the mudras (hand gestures) that affect them.

Hand Facing Down

When the Hamsa hand faces down, it opens you up to all of the abundance and goodness of the universe, welcoming it into your life. Hand facing down also brings fertility and answers to prayers and manifestations. Often, in this position, the fingers are closed together to bring good luck.

Hand Facing Up

When the Hamsa hand is facing up, it is a universal sign against evil. It is a powerful sign of protection, and shields us from our inner thoughts of hatred, jealousy and insecurities.

May your Hamsa Hand bring you love, light, luck and protection.

Hamsa Hands:

Collection I, Part 1

Hamsa Hand #1 Butterflies are Free sold (Castro Valley CA)

Hamsa Hand #2

(Milagro Hand #1) Delhi Doll

sold (Castro Valley CA)

Hamsa Hand #3

(Milagro Hand #2)

Miracles Happen

Blue Sky Gallery

Santa Fe

SOLD (McAllen, Texas)

Hamsa Hand # 4

(Milagro Hand #3)

It's About Time

Part Milagro, part Hamsa, and decidedly steampunk, It’s About Time brings an ancient symbol into an imaginary mechanical world.

Vintage watch faces, gears, buttons, cogs, and found metal objects crowd the hand like the inner workings of some marvelous timekeeping machine. Each tiny piece seems to carry a history of its own—a moment used, saved, lost, or remembered.

The hand has long been a symbol of protection, blessing, and good fortune. Here, surrounded by the machinery of time, it becomes something more: a reminder that our lives are assembled from thousands of small moments, all turning together like the gears of a clock.

The title carries a little wink as well as a message. It’s About Time asks us to notice the moment we're in—because time keeps moving whether we're ready or not.

A little Victorian fantasy, a little New Mexico Milagro, and a little reminder to make every moment count.

$350

Turquoise House Santa Fe

Hamsa Hand #5 Boho

Caravanserai Hamsa Hand #6

Like a treasured talisman carried across ancient trade routes, Caravanserai evokes the mystery and splendor of the Silk Road. Layers of lapis-blue stone, jeweled embellishments, and antique Afghan adornments shimmer against intricate patterns reminiscent of textiles, mosaics, and carved palace walls. The protective Hamsa hand serves as both guardian and guide—a symbol of safe passage for travelers crossing vast deserts beneath star-filled skies.

The piece imagines a bustling caravanserai, those legendary roadside sanctuaries where merchants, storytellers, and pilgrims gathered to rest, exchange goods, and share tales from distant lands. Rich with color, texture, and symbolism, Hamsa Caravanserai celebrates the enduring human desire to journey, connect, and carry beauty home from faraway places.

Sold (Central Point OR)

Hamsa Hand #7 (Milagro Hand #4)

Amira Azul

Sold (San Diego CA)

Hamsa Hand #8

Smoke and Mirrors

Blue Sky Gallery Santa Fe

Sold. (New York, New York)

Hamsa Hand #9 (Milagro Hand #5)

Wrapped in black lace and shimmering silver, Midnight Lace has the mystery of an old-world talisman. Its intricate layers of metal, beads, and antique-inspired embellishments suggest something treasured, carried for protection, or offered in hope.

In New Mexico, the hand may be recognized as a Milagro Hand—a symbol of blessing, healing, gratitude, or a heartfelt wish. Elsewhere, it may be seen as a Hamsa, the ancient hand-shaped symbol associated with protection and good fortune.

Perhaps it is both. Across cultures and centuries, the open hand has spoken a simple and enduring message: May you be protected. May you be blessed. May your wishes find their way home.

Midnight Lace brings that timeless symbolism into a richly textured, contemporary work of art.