Nose Ornament 300 B.C.-A.D. 700 Early Quimbaya Metalworkers in the Quimbaya tradition created this nose ornament through lost-wax casting. (For more information on this process, please see Metropolitan Museum of Art 1974.271.48, and for more information on the Quimbaya name, please see 1979.206.529.) It is likely made of a gold alloy. A person may have worn the ornament by inserting the ends of the central opening into their nostrils. The ornament is hollow and has a rounded shape. It bears similarities in form to other Quimbaya nose ornaments like 2002.322.7, but, in this case, the upper and lower edges of the ornament slightly curve inward at their centers. At its central opening, each side shows a short group of bands. Except for these bands, the ornament is undecorated. The central opening extends farther into the ornament, widening to form a circular shape near the center of the object. The ornament is especially smooth and polished. To create this object, metalworkers first neede