A nose chain is a type of facial jewellery that originated centuries ago as a part of women's fashion in India.
It has risen to prevalence as a recent introduction of Gothic fashion and is now known for its use in several different subcultures around the world, primarily the Darkwave scene of the Goth subculture.
Simply put, the nose chain is a link between a nose piercing and an ear piercing. Typically —and appropriately so—, these "chains" are just that: chain links, usually (though not always) made of some kind of metal. Yet, besides actual chains, the term "nose chain" can denote other types of connecting materials b nose and ear piercings, such as the common alternative of rosary beads. Other connectors can be used as well.
The nose chain has been commonly worn by women in the Indian subcontinent for centuries.[1] It is often worn as jewellery, especially during wedding ceremonies.[2]
Today the nose chain is best known in the Western world within the Darkwave music scene within the Gothic subculture and sometimes that subculture as a whole, and has appeared as an aesthetic item worn by fans and a small amount of purveyors of such music. Possibly, the most notable wearers of such abstract jewellery are dance-pop musician Jane Child and Anna-Varney Cantodea, the sole member of the Darkwave project, Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows. It is possible that these two artists, more than likely Child, brought this type of jewellery to the semi-popular knowledge it has today. Other prominent people who have worn nose chains include Skid Row's male bassist Rachel Bolan, who wore a nose chain (sometimes a double chain) during the late 1980s and early 1990s, though does not seem to any-more, in spite of apparently maintaining his nostril and ear piercings.
The nose chain has a small occurrence in other cultures, such as the punk rock and body modification subcultures. The nose chain, even in Western subcultures, is far more common as women's jewellery than it is for men.
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