Nose piercing was first recorded in the Middle East, approximately 4,000 years ago. It is mentioned in The Bible in Genesis 24:22 when Abraham requested his oldest servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant found Rebekah and one of the gifts he gave her was a golden earring. The original Hebrew word used was Shanf, which also translates as ‘nose-ring'.

Nose piercing was bought to India in the 16th Century from the Middle East by the Moghul emperors. Piercings were regarded as a mark of beauty and social standing and are still popular today.

In India a stud (Phul) or a ring (Nath) can be worn on the nostril, septum or the bridge of the nose. They are most commonly worn on either the left or right nostril and sometimes joined to the ear by a chain.

Typically the left nostril is favoured because in Ayurvedic medicine, the left nostril is associated with the female reproductive organs. A piercing in this position is thought to make childbirth easier as well as lessen the amount of menstrual pain.

Nose rings in India are worn by Hindu women more than by those of any other religion. They usually have their noses pierced at the age of sixteen, what is considered the age to marry. The piercings honour the goddess of marriage, known as Parvathi.

In some parts of India the nose ring is never removed once a woman is married, therefore a nose ring is often considered to be a sign of marriage, even though today unmarried women and even young girls in India may also wear nose rings.

This practice is still followed among the nomadic Berber and Beja tribes of Africa, and the Bedouins of the Middle East. The size of the ring denotes the wealth of the family. It is given by the husband to his wife at the marriage and is her security if she is divorced.

In the west, nose piercing first appeared among the hippies who travelled to India in the late 1960s. It was adopted by the Punk movement of the late 1970s as a symbol of rebellion against conservative values and by other youth cultures of the 80s and 90s.

The nose ring became a very fashionable trend among many celebrities including Janet Jackson, Sinead O'Connor and Lenny Kravitz. Today, stars such as Christina Aguilera, Pink and Madonna all have nose piercings. It still remains popular around the world - as a form of expression, religious and traditional significance or simply as a fashion accessory.