Bulgarian traditional costume is a mix of western European and Ottoman influences, and the jewellery shares the same heritage. This piece of jewellery, called a prochelnik because it was worn on the forehead, is a head ornament. The central part was hooked into the head scarf, so that the decorative part hung down over the forehead, while the two hooks at the sides were attached to the scarf at the sides of the head, above and behind the ears. It is made of metal, cast and plated to imitate more expensive silver filigree jewellery. In the 19th century the rural populations of the Balkans were much poorer than their equivalents in other European countries, and many could not afford jewellery of precious metal.

Like most traditional jewellery in the region, it was first worn at marriage. The contents of the dowry varied according to the wealth of the families involved, and from place to place, but a belt clasp and a prochelnik were compulsory pieces everywhere. This prochelnik is filled with symbolic meaning. The four birds above the central part represent cocks, an ancient symbol of fertility, and the dangling disc pendants were intended to avert all kinds of evil. It is typical of the Sliven region.

This was described as a Norwegian breast ornament when it was given to the Museum in 1939, along with many other pieces of Norwegian traditional jewellery. The disc-shaped pendants and coloured glass pastes are superficially similar to Norwegian jewellery, but the details are quite different. Scandinavian disc pendants are attached through a hole in the disc, not by a projecting loop, as here.