thumb|Turquoise gold nose ornament from the [[Moche culture.]]
These nose piercing ornaments are attached through a piercing in the nostril or septum.
Middle East and North Africa
Earliest known reference to nose ornament comes from the Middle East dating back to 4,000 years ago. In the book of Genesis, Abraham’s servant gifts young Rebekah an array of jewellery as a marriage offering on behalf of her future husband, Isaac. Among the gifts and trinkets was a golden ring called a “Shanf” also known as a nose ring. Ezekiel 16:11-14 refers to personification of Jerusalem as a woman who was given a golden crown, earrings and a nose ring by the God; "And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and embroidered cloth.".
In ancient Carthage, septum piercings were worn by both Carthaginian men and women. These were commonly made of gold, some examples in silver are also known.
Americas
In Americas, nose piercing can be dated through pre-Columbian and colonial times throughout North and South America. Numerous status ceremonies are carved into the North Temple of the Great Ballcourt at Chichin Itza. One of these processions is a nose piercing ceremony that is depicted on the North Temple vault. Historian A.S Altekar suggests nose piercings do not find mention in Indian literature before the 8th century and were likely introduced after this period. According to historian Benoytosh Bhattacharya, the 12th-century text Manasollasa mentions various ornaments worn by women but does not mention nose ring, and was likely introduced by Mohammadans after the 12th century. Jewelry historian Oppi Untracht suggests nose piercings were introduced during the 13th century by Muslims and was quickly established over the years.
The "nath" (nose jewel) displays the economic status of the wearer; made of pearls, sapphire and various gems set in gold while others wore those made of silver from the 15th century onwards. The ornament became quite popular during the 17th and 18th centuries. British Museum contains large collection of golden nose ring jewels from various parts of India, Nepal and Pakistan donated by researcher Dr. Waltraud Ganguly.
See also
- Nose piercing