Gold mount with drop-shaped or small mango (auspicious symbol) and floral bezels containing white tourmaline and rubies, surmounted by clusters of micro pearls. 'In the side of one of the nostrils they make a small hole, through which they put a fine gold wire with pearl, sapphire or ruby pendant' Duarte Barbosa in his description of Vijayanagar women in Kumar, Indian Jewellery, Dance of the peacock, Bombay 1999, p. 176.The nose ring is one of the symbols of marital bliss (saubhagya) and is therefore worn by married women, usually Hindi, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Historians believe that the origins of this custom can be traced back to the Arab invasion of Sind in the 8th century. This type of ornament can be of different sizes and can be positioned on one nostril, usually the left, (like the example shown here) or both, being placed on the septum.