Enameled silver fingernail guard decorated with Plum flowers. Silver fingernail guards protected the very long nails of the upper classes against breaking. The guards were a sign of the wearer's social status and showed that such a person relied on servants to carry out any wishes, as he or she could not perform manual tasks. An accidentally broken nail was a mishap verging on a tragedy. Very often nail guards were only used on the pink and the ring finger of the right hand as it would otherwise have been impossible to hold anything. This particular nail guard is decorated with Plum flowers which have five petals symbolizing the Five Blessings, Old age, Health, Wealth, Love of Virtue and a Peaceful death. There is a minor loss of enamel but the nail guard is still in surprisingly good condition. It dates from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period. Length 7.2 cm. Diameter 1.4 cm.