The beaded necklace that Delphine gives Lydia “for protection” symbolizes Lydia’s growing belief in something greater than herself and in her increasing trust. At the beginning of the novel, Lydia denies she has any belief system. She’s skeptical of the buckets of crystals displayed in Delphine’s shop, thinking they’re just another way to manipulate suggestible people. Little by little, this belief changes. When she reads the book about crystals in Delphine’s living room, she finds one that resonates with her: carnelian, a reddish-brown meant to “restore vitality, instill creativity, and intensify motivation” (45). She wants to reclaim her life and sees the stone as a projection of her goals. Still skeptical, she writes it off as confirmation bias, i.e., interpreting something to fit beliefs you already have. She “devours” the book anyway, betraying an interest despite her dismissive tone.

Later, when Lydia prepares to visit the Colettos, Delphine gives her a beaded necklace. The stones are for protection: “Bloodstone, red jasper, black tourmaline, white howlite, tiger's eye, moonstone, and smoky quartz” (165). Delphine knows Lydia is skeptical, but Lydia accepts the necklace because she wants to reassure Delphine. In this scene, Delphine rubs Lydia’s back, and it’s the first time Lydia doesn’t recoil.

When Merritt steals the necklace after knocking Lydia unconscious, it seems to prove Lydia’s original belief that the crystal stuff is all a lie. However, both Delphine and the necklace save Lydia in the end. Like an angel dressed in white, Delphine saves Lydia from the fire. The necklace, which Merritt wears on her wrist as a souvenir, proves to the police that her story is a lie. By the end of the novel, Lydia has lost the necklace, but she’s let protection into her life. She saves the children and lets Delphine help her rehabilitate, no longer feeling that she needs to be on the offensive to survive.