Throughout the lands of the former Ottoman Empire, from the north Balkans to the Caucasus, large and elaborate waist clasps were the most important item in a woman’s dowry. These clasps come in a small number of basic shapes. This one is shaped like stylised tulips, a favourite Ottoman motif. It was worn with the pointed part facing upwards, and was fastened by a pin, which attached the left-hand piece to the rest of the clasp. The three chains, which join the pin to the clasp, hung down decoratively over the front of the clasp when it was fastened. Tulip-shaped filigree clasps were also worn in some of the other Greek islands, and on the west coast of the Balkans, but those are usually smaller and less decorative than Cypriot clasps.

Cypriot clasps are part of the general Ottoman tradition, but are often more sophisticated and decorative than those from elsewhere. The goldsmiths of Cyprus were famous for their filigree although they rarely marked their work. This clasp was described as 18th century when it was acquired, and this may be true. It was bought in 1888, just after a terrible famine, when many people had to sell their family heirlooms to survive.