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 one is engraved with two Coins symbolizing Wealth and a partly visible Dragon which represents Fertility as Dragons were believed to bring rain to water the crops in the fields. It is marked ‘Wan Cheng’ (萬成) who may have been the maker or retailer. The underside of the nail guard is decorated in openwork with coins as well. It dates from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period. Length 6.4 cm. Diameter 1.5 cm.