Brazilian Charm Cluster Necklace Penca de Balangandan

Vintage Brazilian Charm Cluster Necklace ~ Penca de Balangandan

A real Bahiana always wears her Penca de Balangandan or Balandandã necklace on parade Sunday of Carnival.  This rare charm necklace is a part of History and Folk tradition in Brazil.  It is said that Brazilian Slaves wore theirs as a combination of memories from the land they were so forcefully taken from and of religious images that brought them comfort. 

Nowadays, pencas de balangandan are more similar to a charm necklace. Each charm tells a story or pays homage to a place, event, spiritual belief, a memento of our memories.Each element has a meaning to the wearer.

This particular necklace honors this long tradition, but it was made as a single piece, meaning it was assembled and offered for purchase as a style, all the charms already there. Regardless, it is a great assemblage of several different and very Brazilian items.

There are 6 different fruits represented, including cashew (that gives us cashew nuts and great ice-cream), passion fruit, pineapples (yes, they are Brazilian in origin!), starfruit, sugar-apple (fruta do conde) and guava. In the center there is a chimarron (for the South area of the country, the Pampas), a figa (of course!) and an ellaborate flask.

The charm holder is beautiful too and there is one bird seated at each side.  Some say that the original ones did not have the birds, that they were added after Princesa Isabel abolished slavery in 1881. The birds represent freedom.

This is a heavy pendant, all the charms are solid metal. It has a gun metal or heavily antiqued finish.  The chain is 16" long and antiqued silver color. The charm cluster or penca is 2" wide by 2" tall approximately.

Necklace is in excellent vintage condition and dates from the 1960s. There are no maker's mark.

SKU1680