One of the primary reasons people wear jewelry is for protection, as an amulet.  Tibetans use a wide range of amulets called gau.  The gausilhouette consciously evokes the shape of a single lotus petal, which is a symbol of purity.  It is formed as a box so the contents can be individually created and re-created.  Gau often contain small statues or painting of deities or teachers, handwritten or prtined paper prayers, scraps of sacred cloth, or souvenirs such as incense or soil samples from sacred places.  The flat, wide based of many Tibetan gau provides a portable alter functioning either as the central item to be worshipped or to further enhance an existing altar's potency.  Similarly, the zushiand mamori amulets of Japan also contain images of Buddhist and Shinto figures that can be worn, carried or used as a portable altar.  In China, necklaces of auspicious images or locks are worn for protection and to promote good fortune.  Followers of Islam in South and Central Asia wear lockets that contain miniature copies of the Quran or prayers.  Devotees of the Hindu divinities Shiva, Vishnu, Laksmi and Hanuman wear pendants, necklaces, armlets or plaques sewn to their clothing with images or symbols of those deities to invoke their protection.  All of these amulets reveal the shared human desire to promote positive outcomes and to deflect negative ones.