Significance of Jewellery in Silk Road Studies

Jewellery forms an integral part of Silk Road culture. Even marauding crusaders were seduced by the lure of and the quantity of jewellery not to mention silks, spices and perfumes that travelled along the various silk routes via the central Asian region, including Tibet, North India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, which became both a massive crossroads and meeting point. As the number of caravans transporting goods increased, so too did the amount of silk, precious stones, jewellery and other precious objects pouring into the region. Meanwhile, as Buddhism spread in this region, it influenced cultures, decorative arts and traditions and facilitated a shared vocabulary of forms and styles. The decorative culture encapsulated by jewellery from these times is thus representative of an enormous diversity of influences from the immediate area as well as from further afield, including Iran and China.