This paper explores the practice of giving gold jewelry and
coins as gifts through a qualitative research conducted in Ankara,
Turkey. We seek to understand the occasions of gift giving and the
motivation behind this practice of gift giving. We aim to contribute
to the existing literature not only by extending our understanding of
the dynamics of gift giving behavior in non-Western contexts but
also by questioning the tenability of the distinction between functionally and symbolically motivated gift giving. We argue that gift
giving behavior is guided by interplay of utilitarian and experiential
motives, whereby the economic values of gifts play a significant
role along with symbolic value
