Interpreting lived experiences through the contemporary jewellery of Beverley Price: A case study

Original Research

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/2617-3255/2026/n40a9

Keywords:

Contemporary jewellery, life history, hermeneutic phenomenology, narrative identity, Beverley Price, South Africa

Abstract

Contemporary jewellery serves as a form of self-expression, creating new aesthetics and meanings for wearable adornment through innovative processes and materials. South African contemporary jewellers frequently draw inspiration from their lived experiences, reflecting the country’s rich natural, cultural, social, and political landscapes. However, scholarly analysis of its thematic, conceptual, and interdisciplinary aspects remains limited. This article addresses this gap by examining how lived experience is expressed through the contemporary jewellery practice of South African practitioner, Beverley Price. Using a single case study, it interprets Price’s work, Nelson Mandela neckpiece - A concentric chronology of his life, through an integrated theoretical framework combining life history research, contemporary jewellery studies, and hermeneutic phenomenology. The article situates Price’s creative practice within her socio-political and cultural context, highlighting how personal experience and political awareness intersect in her jewellery. Drawing on Paul Ricœur’s (1992) theory of narrative identity, the article argues that Price’s work embodies both idem and ipse identities, reflecting continuity and transformation in her self-conception. The analysis demonstrates how contemporary jewellery can serve as a form of political engagement and meaning-making, by materially reinterpreting political symbols, communicating ideological affiliation, and positioning identity within post-apartheid South African discourse.

Author Biographies

  • Nina Newman, Tshwane University of Technology

    Nina Newman is a jewellery designer, lecturer, and doctoral candidate at the Tshwane University of Technology in the Department of Fine and Studio Arts. Her work engages with identity, gender, and cultural narratives, emphasising jewellery as a medium for self-expression and social commentary. She serves on the Design Education Forum of South Africa (DEFSA) committee and is a DHET reviewer for creative outputs. She has published on contemporary jewellery design, South African contemporary jewellery, and commercial jewellery design ethics.

  • Prof. A Mastamet-Mason, Tshwane University of Technology

    Prof. Anne Mastamet-Mason is currently the head of department of Fashion Design at the Tshwane University of Technology and has over 30 years of teaching experience in higher education. She has taught in Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa. Her research interests include garment sizing and fit, the socio-environmental aspect of the garment and the textile industry, and the decolonisation of fashion/textile design curriculum. She has successfully supervised 7 PhD and 17 master's students, many of whom are distinguished professors, researchers and academics in Easter, Western and Southern Africa. She has published numerous research publications and has received a NRF C rating for 2022-2027. She has chaired the Ready-Made Garments' Technical Committee at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). She is a member of the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA), South African Association of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences (SAAFECS) and Design Education Forum of South Africa (DEFSA). 

  • Prof. Nalini Moodley-Diar, Tshwane University of Technology

    Prof. Nalini Moodley-Diar is Executive Dean and Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Design at Tshwane University of Technology. She holds a B.A (Fine Arts), M.A. (Art History) cum laude, a UPGCE cum laude, a PhD in Art History from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and an MBS in Education Management from Haaga Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. She has more than 30 years' experience across primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors. With a focus on visual culture, her research topics include minority politics, race and identity in post-apartheid South Africa, and the global memorialisation of Indian indenture and serves on the International Scientific Committee dedicated to that memorialisation. She has published on Hindu art, Indian dance and Indian positionalities in South Africa and leads projects on women in higher education leadership. 

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Published

2026-09-11

Issue

No. 40 (2026): Image and Text

Section

Open Section