NEW YORK — Amulets are objects believed to magically ward off danger, bad luck or evil. Initially, people probably protected their families, flocks and possessions with roots, stone fragments, animal horns or shells associated with past good fortune. Over time, some were formed into symbolic shapes and figures. As civilizations evolved, ornamental ones, small enough to carry or threaded on neck or wrist strands, were fashioned from gold, gemstones, ivory, bone, bronze or bits of clay.
