History of Nose Rings

• Nose rings are geographically widespread."woodblock print"- japanese street fashion image by Tamara Kulikova from Fotolia.com
  
  There is no certainty as to where and when the use of nose rings for facial decoration originated. Sources suggest that the practice is ancient and geographically widespread. Some English translations of Genesis Book 22, Verse 24 describe a gold ring given to a woman as a nose ring (some say earring). De Quincey writes that nose rings were a valued gift among nomadic African and Asian tribes. Wearing nose rings was an ancient practice in India too.
  
  

Materials Used

• It is evident that the function of nose rings from earliest times was decorative, and that they also served as valued gifts in some societies. The materials used, therefore, seem to have been precious—at least by a given society's standards. Hebrew tradition records gold nose rings. Some African tribes used ivory plugs for nose decoration. In other societies, noses were decorated with wooden rings or plugs and even with animal quills pulled through an appropriate piercing. In Central America, metal rings were worn. In winter, the Chippewa people of North American sometimes substituted animal fur for their customary metal nose rings and earrings.
  
  

Location of Nose Piercing

• The location where the ring is worn has varied from culture to culture. Piercing of one nostril is common, but sometimes the central septum is pierced. Nostril piercing is a tradition which has become increasingly popular in recent years among young people in America and Europe. Septum piercing is still less common. Rings similar to earrings are usually worn when the nostril is pierced. Septum piercings encourage a wider variety of ornamentation, from straightforward rings (sometimes known in this context as "bull rings") to barbell-shaped rods and other forms of plug.
  
  

Nose Rings in Western Society

• In recent years, nose ornamentation, like tattooing, has become increasingly popular outside the societies in which it originated. It is a popular form of body decoration among young people in the United States and Europe. Generally, the style and materials used reflect the older traditions. Metal rings are still the most popular ornament worn, titanium and platinum being popular materials, and although they may rarely be made from gold, they are sometimes decorated with costume, semi-precious or even precious stones. Wooden nose rings are less common.
  
  

The Tradition Persists

• Some societies with a long tradition of nose ring use persist in the practice today. These include India, Pakistan and Nepal, as well as countries in central Africa. Nose rings are an enduring choice of human body decoration.