Beyond beauty: Jewelry, Brands and the Creation of Identity in Arabia

Analysis of a bichrome painted, fired clay jewel recently found in the Area R cemetery in Qurayyah, Northwest Arabia, reveals its conception as a skeuomorph of golden pendants with rayed star motif, widely attested from the Middle to Late Bronze Age in Western Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean. The specific material—bichrome painted fired clay—intentionally chosen as ersatz in lieu of faience/glass, marks a visible difference with widespread, contemporary and comparable skeuomorphs of gold. The choice of painted fired clay even for jewelry hints at coeval QPW 4 pottery series, an iconic bichrome painted manufacture, embodying a powerful cultural signature, almost a “corporate design” extending beyond ceramic vessels production.