Jewellery and Material Culture: Weaving Identity Through Textiles, Architecture, and Ritual Objects

This article explores the intersections between jewellery and other forms of material culture -textiles, architecture, and ritual objects- to examine how identity is materialised across different cultural domains. Building upon the theoretical framework of "heritage gems" introduced in the author's previous study, it argues that jewellery does not exist in isolation but participates in a broader material dialogue through which communities construct, perform, and transmit identity. By analysing case studies from Persian, Central Asian, and South Asian traditions, the study demonstrates that jewellery shares symbolic, structural, and functional affinities with textiles, architectural ornamentation, and ritual artefacts. The article further proposes that understanding these interconnections enriches both heritage studies and contemporary design practice, offering new perspectives for curatorial and educational approaches to material culture.