Nose-jewel

A Nose-jewel is a piece of jewelry that people wear on their nose. Some nose rings are designed as clips, others as nose piercings.  Nose rings can be simple or studded with jewels, pendants, or chains. They are worn on one or both nostrils, on the nasal septum (septum piercing), or on both sides simultaneously. Nose jewelry has been around since ancient times and can have aesthetic, traditional, and religious significance. 

History

Marking the body in various ways or altering its shape is an ancient human need. For over 5,000 years, people in the Pacific region and in Africa have adorned themselves with rings and plugs in their noses, ears, or lips. In the 1970s, the "Modern Primitives" emerged, a group that brought archaic rites and body jewelry of primitive native peoples into the modern world. In India, where the tradition of women wearing nose rings is very much alive, the custom came via the Arabs, who in turn adopted it from the Jews.

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. Rather than depicting sacrifice, the common theme of the temple's carvings, the central figure is shown aiming what most likely is a bone awl to pierce the figure's nose. The ritual of the nostril piercing signified the elevated status of this figure. His place in society is symbolized by his nose piercing. Similarly, nose piercing signified elevated status in Colonial Highland Maya. The two prominent lords, Ajpop and the Ajpop K'ama, of the K'iche were pierced through the nose at the pinnacle of an elaborate ceremony. Similar to a crowning of a king, the nose piercing was to show their newfound leadership of the K'iche.

In Yucatán, explorers Oviedo y Valdes, Herrera y Tordesillas, Diego de Landa, and Jeronimo de Aguilar all noted different nose piercings that they observed in Mayans and other cultures in Yucatán in general. They reported that different stones could have different meaning within each civilization. In addition, they believed the different placement and size and shape of beads could denote the specific society the person came from. The Toltecs were believed to have piercings through the ala of the nose that was adorned with a bead. While the Mayans pierced through the septum and consisted of an oblong bead rather than a spherical.

South Asia

The nose ring is called a Nath (Hindi: नथ, IPA:) in various local languages and were introduced around the 9th and 10th centuries becoming a symbol of a woman's marital status. The nath in its full form contains a jeweled ring with a chain connected to a hairpiece.

In South Asia, nose piercings were introduced as early as 10th century and by 15th century they were common across South Asia. Historian A.S Altekar suggests nose piercings does not find mention in Indian literature before 8th century and was 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 13th century by Muslims and was quickly established over the years.

The "nath" (nose jewel) displays economic status of the wearer; made of pearls, sapphire and kundan 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.

Status symbol

The nose ring, inserted as an ornament through various parts of the nose, is sometimes used to indicate social rank; this was particularly prevalent among peoples in India, New Guinea, Polynesia, pre-Columbian America, Australia, and parts of Africa. In India, the Middle East, and North Africa, nose rings indicated tribal status and wealth—the more nose rings a young woman wore, the larger her dowry. 

A woman's nose ring is given special respect in India; it is considered tactless for a stranger to even mention it. The nose ring is the Indian symbol of marital happiness and a sign that the husband is alive; widows are not allowed to wear nose rings and bracelets. The same term (nāth) in Hindi refers not only to a woman's nose ring, but also to a rope through an ox's nose.  Jewish women did not wear nose rings on the Sabbath. Rabbinic literature from the second to eighth centuries shows that nose rings were among women's precious jewelry, which they were not allowed to wear on every occasion or could be taken away from them (Sotah Ritual). Among Oriental women, there are sayings such as "the necklace embraces me" or "the nose rings kiss" the wearer. 

Old Testament

In Genesis 24:47, the Hebrew nose ring (nezem) is described: "And I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose and the earrings on her arms." Nose rings as jewelry are mentioned in two other places in the Bible, Ezekiel 16:12 (verse 12: I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a crown of glory on your head) and Proverbs 11:22 (A beautiful woman without discipline is like a sow with a gold ring through her nose).  Metaphorically, these Bible quotations say that the wife adorned with gold is the husband's ornament (Rebekah becomes an Israelite wife by giving her the nose ring) and that no man should choose a tactless woman, and women are admonished to be discreet (pig's snout digs in the dirt). In Exodus 35:22, some recent interpreters see "chach" as the nose ring; Martin Luther translated it as hook or hilt.  In Isaiah 3:21, among other things, "the nose rings" are mentioned, which the Lord would take away from the proud daughters of Zion.

Tool of oppression

The Assyrian kings inserted nose rings of a very different kind into the noses or lower lips of disobedient vassal kings, leading them through the streets like animals and leaving them to be mocked by their people. Esarhaddon had several steles depicting this method and intended to warn rebellious agitators. The Bible also mentions how nose rings were used to drag prisoners to their conqueror's triumphal procession (2 Kings 19:28; Isaiah 37:29, etc.). 

Poetry, songs and legends

In a popular hit song from 1982, played during rainy season festivals in Uttar Pradesh, a man says to his wife, "O wife, your nose ring has captivated my heart," and his wife then replies, "O husband, the color of the nose ring is flawless." In a Birahā version of the original, the man says to his wife, "O wife, better than your nose ring is this swing." The song describes a swing made by the god Brahma from various religious and cosmological materials and lists numerous gods and goddesses, Indian saints and martyrs who have enjoyed themselves on the swing. An Indian legend surrounds the custom of wearing a nose ring, which states that a mother would mark her child with a nose ring before exchanging it with another's child and leaving it to grow up in a strange environment, in order to ward off a curse. The child was Krishna, who as an adult fulfills the curse and kills his uncle, who had shot down a hermit's only mango fruit from his tree and given it to his sister to eat. 

Arabs are said to have liked to kiss their wives through their nose rings; the rings, which were 2 to 3 inches in diameter, hung down over the mouth. The Egyptologist Heinrich Schäfer translated a song of the Egyptian peasants, which depicts a scene during the drawing of water, in which a young man teases the girls: "You girls, you who draw water, how much is the rent for the drawing place?" and they answer quickly, "Ten from those with the window and a kiss under the nose ring." ("Window" is what the peasants called the coats of arms on the reverse of the coins). 

In 1932, David Saliman Tsemah (1902–1981) wrote the poem Yeshurun (the biblical name of Israel Jeshurun) for the 60th anniversary of the Jewish poet Hayim Nahmann Bialik (1873–1934), in which he compares ancient Hebrew poetry to a daughter of strong, highly gifted ancestors who grew up among the Arabs, who adorned her with bracelets and nose rings. 

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