In Brazil, you don't wait for bad luck to find you; you make a fist at it first. This H. Stern 18k gold key chain is an engraved figa hand, the Brazilian good-luck charm, with a decorated cuff at the wrist, hanging on a short cable chain from a hinged gold key ring. The arm has been adapted with a subsidiary gold ring to allow it to hang as a pendant in a secondary orientation. Marked 750 and H. Stern.

The figa, a fist with the thumb tucked between the first two fingers, is an amulet of ancient Roman origin carried to Brazil by the Portuguese. Hans Stern founded his firm in Rio de Janeiro in 1945, and it grew into Brazil's best-known jeweler.

The Details

• Maker: H. Stern, Brazil
• Metal: 18k yellow gold (marked 750)
• Marks: 750; H. Stern
• Measurements: 10 cm
• Weight: 9.4 grams
• Condition: Very fine; light surface wear; key ring works properly.