Kolt

Kolt or kolty was a part of a female headgear, hanging on a ryasna at both temples as a sign of family's wealth, common in 11th-13th centuries in Old Rus'.

It comprised a pair of metal pieces, joined to form a hollow medallion or star that, presumably, contained a piece of cloth, impregnated with fragrances.

As a term, it was introduced in the late 19th century in the course of ethnographic surveys.

According to a version it derived from the Ukrainian: ковтки, meaning 'earrings',[1] also in West-Ukrainian dialects “колток”.

[2] In a Novgorod dialect the word “колтки” means pendants of earrings, it was also mentioned in birch bark document No.

A pair of kolts featuring two birds flanking the tree of life and a ryasna , a chain of medallions, found in 1842 in or near the Church of the Tithes in Kiev ). Cloisonné enamel on Gold. 12th century.
Kolts found in Nizovka, Chernihiv Oblast . 12th century.