This emerald green glass barrette features the Hand of Buddha, which in this position is called Abhaya Mudra, and is credited with "imparting fearlessness". It's also known more generically as a "healing hand" and is popular with practitioners of both reiki and massage.
This symbol is also called a "Hamsa", an Egyptian symbol of protection, (although the Hamsa usually contains something more representative of an eye in the middle).
Handmade in my rural Ohio glass studio, this barrette measures between 3 1/2" and 3 3/4" (9 - 10 cm long) and around 1" (25 mm) wide. I've had some people look askance at a glass barrette, but really, they hold up pretty well. A direct hit on ceramic tile might do it in, but I'm a rough and tumble kind of girl - work hard, play hard, and despite my chucking them up on my dashboard in the car and dropping them occasionally on my bathroom floor (linoleum) all of mine are fine :) and continue to wear well.
© 2020 M. Sotherden Art Glass. No images or text may be copied without written permission from the studio.