I would say the bottom examples have a star "on" their hand, rather than in their hand.
In my opinion the VM Virgo's star is unique because the VM plays on the ambiguity between flowers (aster) and "stars on strings". If you see a Virgo holding an item on a "string", it will always be a flower. A flower is expected for Virgo (at least one of the possibilities) so this interpretation would be clear to people used to images of Virgo holding flowers.
In my opinion the VM Virgo's star is unique because the VM plays on the ambiguity between flowers (aster) and "stars on strings". If you see a Virgo holding an item on a "string", it will always be a flower. A flower is expected for Virgo (at least one of the possibilities) so this interpretation would be clear to people used to images of Virgo holding flowers.