The frame takes a conical design that curves with the shape of the head and culminates in a point.
Some spangenhelms include eye protection in a shape that resembles modern eyeglass frames, and are thus sometimes called "spectacle helmets".
The spangenhelm arrived in Western Europe by way of what is now southern Russia and Ukraine, spread by nomadic Iranian tribes such as the Scythians and Sarmatians who lived among the Eurasian steppes.
Some of the nasal helmets depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry from the 11th century appear to be built as a Spangenhelm construction.
In the Kizil Caves in the Tarim Basin, knights wearing segmented pear-shaped helmets are depicted.