Contemporary Jewellery as a Reflection of Female Muslim Identities in South Africa, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This paper examines how contemporary jewellery serves as a medium through which Muslim female artists express their identity, cultural heritage, and sense of belonging. Focusing on the work of Egyptian designer Azza Fahmy and Saudi Arabian jeweller Abeer Baghdadi, I investigate how jewellery can visually and conceptually express Islamic values, personal histories, and socio-political realities. Their practices are discussed in dialogue with South African visual artists Thania Petersen and Rushda Deaney, whose work similarly engages with themes of Muslim identity, marginalisation, and visibility. Through this comparative, cross-regional analysis, I highlight how female Muslim creatives use adornment and visual culture to challenge reductive narratives, reclaim spiritual agency, and forge new representational spaces. The study situates contemporary jewellery within broader artistic and cultural conversations, arguing that it holds unique potential for making underrepresented identities visible, particularly within the context of South Africa’s diverse yet often exclusionary art landscape.