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The Chinese Year of the Snake will soon be celebrated. It is a symbol of wisdom, transformation and growth. In Hungary, jewellers have embraced this motif for centuries.
Long before Kinga Horanyi started crafting jewelry in Budapest, the snake held a deep meaning in her life.
"When I was a child, I had bad dreams, and I always imagined that a giant snake hugged me and protected me from the bad dreams," Horanyi said.
Horanyi has been designing jewelry for 12 years. She draws inspiration from the snake's shape and mysticism.
"It wasn't an accident that I used this shape of the snake; it symbolizes energy; maybe I thought it protected me," she said.
Snake designs in jewelry date back thousands of years. At the Hungarian National Museum, golden snake adornments from the 5th century are on display. According to archeologist Zsuzsa Hegedus, the pieces once belonged to a Hungarian noblewoman who buried them during a time of unrest.
"She was a wealthy woman in the 5th century and most likely had ties with the political elite of the Hun Empire," Hegedus said.
Jeweller Kinga Horanyi has always admired snakes since dreaming about them as a child./ CGTN Europe
In 2010, the snake jewelry resurfaced in dramatic fashion. A treasure hunter tried to sell the pieces on the black market, sparking a police chase.
"They were trying to apprehend him, and he started to flee. He started to run along Danube River and threw that piece into the Danube," Hegedus said.
It took police divers three months to recover the jewels. They are now part of an exhibition highlighting the cultural and spiritual importance of jewelry.
"Jewelry holds more than material value; it conveys spiritual significance and personal meaning," added Hegedus. "Snake designs symbolize transformation, wisdom, and growth."
Horanyi plans to expand her collection with more snake-inspired designs, drawn to its powerful symbolism.
"In Chinese culture, the snake has a very positive quality; it's a symbol of wisdom or healing or immortality,” Horanyi said.
As the Year of the Snake begins, snake motifs are poised for a resurgence. They embody transformation, a concept fashion knows well.