How did Mughal rulers and nobles wear jewelry?

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jewelry Stomacher brooch with emeralds and enamel flowers on gold, from the treasure of the Virgin of Pilar, mid-17th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

During the Mughal Empire, jewelry served as a significant expression of status and opulence for both rulers and nobles. Wealthy rajas adorned themselves with jewels in a variety of ways, including placing them on their turbans, wearing them on their ears, and draping them around their necks. In a display of extreme ornamentation, they even inserted jewels into their nostrils and between their teeth.1

Women of the era wore a vast array of jewelry that decorated the entire body. For the head, they utilized golden wreaths, large brooches, gem-set gold bands, and intricate tiaras featuring tinkling pendants. Other common adornments included forehead jewels and nose rings worn in the left nostril. Necklaces were frequently worn in multiples of varying lengths, sometimes extending down to the navel, and were crafted from combinations of pearls, precious stones, or amulets. Additionally, women wore jeweled belts that followed the body's contours, often featuring decorative chains that connected to thigh bracelets or linked ankle bracelets to toe rings.1