Jewellery and the Digital Age: Materiality, Authenticity, and Identity in Virtual and Augmented Spaces

Abstract

This article examines the transformative impact of digital technologies on jewellery practice and perception, exploring how virtual and augmented spaces are reshaping concepts of materiality, authenticity, and identity. Building upon the theoretical frameworks established in the first three studies of this series(Ghoorchian, 2026a, 2026b, 2026c), it argues that digital jewellery -from NFTs to virtual try-on experiences- challenges traditional notions of what jewellery is and what it means. Through analysis of emerging practices in virtual jewellery design, digital heritage preservation, and the commodification of digital adornment, the article demonstrates that while digital technologies disrupt conventional understandings of materiality and authenticity, they also create new possibilities for identity expression, cultural transmission, and creative innovation. The article further examines how the tension between the physical and the virtual is being negotiated by jewellers, collectors, and consumers, proposing a framework for understanding jewellery in the digital age as a continuum of material-digital practice.