Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage which forms any part of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry, called a nose-jewel. Among the different varieties of nose piercings, the nostril piercing is the most common.
Nostril piercing
Nostril piercing is a body piercing practice which allows the insertion of jewelry into the nostrils. Historically, it was often associated with Indian culture and fashion; since classical times, the practice has commonly been found in South Asia. Nostril piercing is also part of traditional Australian Aboriginal culture.
Since the introduction and diffusion of Indian fashion and culture in the 1960s, punks and subsequent youth cultures of the 1980s and 1990s adopted nostril piercing. Today, nostril piercing is popular in the wider world including South America, United States of America, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, Africa, Japan and Europe, with piercings being performed on either the left or right nostril. For some cultures, this practice is simply for ornament, while for others it is for religious practices. Initially in America, this practice was for subcultures and was seen to be associated with minority youth.
In the United States, nose piercings may have negative connotations. For example, in a 2006 survey done in the hospitality industry, 81% of hiring managers stated that piercings and tattoos affect their perception of the candidate negatively.
Historically in India, nose piercings were only worn by women. However, the spread of this fashion has resulted in both men and women having nostril piercings in the wider world. Several different types of nostril rings are found.
In India, the outside of the left side of the nose is the preferred position of the piercing. This is followed by some orthodox folk also because Ayurvedic medicine associates this location with the female reproductive organs.
Much like in India, the historical record in Egypt only indicates nose piercings being worn by women. The specifics of jewelry in Egypt are regional, though some form of nose piercing has been known throughout Egypt, by urban and desert dwelling women. An exception is Siwa- while other women in Marsa Matruh wore nose rings, Siwi women do not. In Upper Egypt the nose ring is commonly called a khuzam, a name used since the 1830s. According to Lane, the nose rings of his time were an inch to an inch and a half diameter of brass, strung with beads, and worn on the right side of the nose.
In Bahariya, the nose piercing is called the gatar or qatrah, made from 12 carat gold, with filigree and granulation. Commonly, the design is a ring with decoration around the lower half (on some nose rings, this extends to decorating inside the circle, creating a circle where half is empty and half is filled in with filigree), and a flat circle of gold applied to hide the end of the wire that goes through the nose. It is never made of silver, and women believe that the area of nose they pierce has fine blood vessels that would be harmed by silver. It is only worn by married women, and is worn on the left. Traditionally the women of the region believe the nose ring, while worn, will prevent pains and headaches.
In Sinai, the nose piercing is called the shenaf, and like much of the region's jewelry, bears a resemblance to Palestinian examples. It is typically made of gold and sometimes will have colored beads worked into the design. Pieces that dangle from the main ring are common.
In Nubian Egypt, the nose ring is called a zimam. The Rashayda call it by the same name, and make it from 21 carat gold. The Bishariya also wear a nose ring- there is some overlap between the three groups jewelry, as they live in proximity and would buy jewelry from the same cities. The nose rings of the Rashayda have a similar shape to the small nose rings of Bahariya with a thickened decoration around the lower half, but do not employ filigree. Some nose rings in the region are similar to Lane's drawing from 1836, being just a wire with some beads strung on it.