The traditional jewellery of the Syrian region, which incorporated much of Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon as well as Syria itself in the 19th century, shows influences from a wide range of sources, reflecting Syria’s strong trading traditions and central location. The jewellery worn in towns, which is often Ottoman in style, is frequently very different from that worn by the nomadic Bedouin, whose characteristic silver jewellery is much better known today.

The habit of wearing nose jewellery was mainly restricted to the Bedouin and was rarely found among urban women. There are two kinds: nose rings, which look like miniature earrings and are almost always made of gold or gilt metal rather than the silver which was used for the rest of their jewellery; and nose studs, like these. Nose studs are much less common than rings in the Syrian region and may represent an earlier tradition. These were bought for one shilling and sixpence, for the pair, at the International Exhibition, London, in 1872, as an example of traditional Syrian jewellery. Their name was recorded as ‘Khyawr’, which may represent confusion with the local Arabic name for a cylindrical amulet case, khiyar, which means ‘cucumber’. The usual name for nose rings is ‘shnaf’.