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Rashidi R, Mohammadzadeh M. (2026). A Semiotic Reading of Cultural Identity in the Brand “Persian Garden Jewelry” Based on Peirce's Semiotics: A Case Study of the Pendants “The Bird and the Cypress,” “The Common Nightingale,” and “The Angel and the Moon”. , JIC. 10(1), 29-52. doi:10.66224/jic.10.1.432
URL: http://jih-tabriziau.ir/article-1-432-en.html

Jewelry in Iranian culture has always held a position beyond that of mere ornamentation, serving as a cultural and identity medium. In contemporary times, works by art jewelry brands, in addition to their aesthetic aspects, possess layers of culture and identity through references to patterns such as Persian gardens and architecture, painting, calligraphy, and symbolic elements, which can exert influence at the social and even national levels. However, the way these elements are organized within a coherent symbolic system and their relationship with cultural identity dimensions, such as history, myths, religion, territory, and other related aspects, has not been analytically explained. The aim of this research is to identify and categorize the hidden motifs and concepts in three works from the brand "Persian Garden Jewelry" to analyze how cultural identity dimensions are represented in these works and to provide a foundation for a better understanding of the role of symbols in the design of works. In line with these objectives, the research questions have been posed as follows: What symbolic and conceptual system has shaped the visual elements in the Persian Garden Jewelry? How are cultural identity dimensions and components represented in the Persian Garden Jewelry? The data was collected through library research and the works were analyzed using a descriptive-analytical approach, employing a micro-analytical and qualitative method based on Peirce's semiotics. The research findings indicate that symbolic-iconic motifs are the most dominant semiotic structure employed in the works. All visual elements are initially presented as iconic signs, but the ensemble of motifs in each work, when connected together, form a indicative sign of the Iranian garden space (corresponding to the title of brand), and at a deeper level, the works are associated with mythical paradises, romantic and spiritual spaces, as well as the attainment of the essence and immortal life. The identity dimensions represented in the works include: 1. Historical-mythical, 2. Literary-artistic, 3. Religious-spiritual, 4. Territorial-indigenous, and 5. Symbolic-ethical, which emphasize part of Iranian cultural identity through elements and concepts such as cypress, tulip, nightingale, turquoise stone, arabesque motifs, angel, the Persian garden space, the Seven Valleys of Love, and the mythical and mystical paradise, etc.