Empresses and concubines in the Qing Dynasty all like to keep long nails to show that women with noble status are slender and delicate, and do not touch the elegance and beauty of spring water, but their nails are too long and easy to split and break. In order to protect this slender and fragile nail, it is necessary to put a sleeve on the nail, which is the origin of the finger protector.
Extended data:
Empresses and concubines in the Qing Dynasty liked to keep their nails. Generally speaking, it takes more than half a year to grow a nail about an inch long, and it will crack and break if you are not careful. In order to protect this slender nail, you put a protective cover on your finger. This is what people usually call finger protection.
All fingers can be worn except the thumb, symmetrically, with one hand or one finger. The fingernails of the Qing Empresses and concubines were made of gold, silver, jade, tortoise shell, copper, enamel and other materials. They are decorated by hollowing out, carving and inlaying, and the back is mostly carved, which can make the air circulate and avoid being oppressed in summer.
In the history of China, the most representative nail figure was Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty. She listened to politics and wore decorative metal or cloisonne fake nails on her little finger and ring finger to increase the length of nails and show her noble status.
Decorative metal or cloisonne fake nails is engraved with patterns, or dragons or phoenixes, which is probably the prototype of our first painting. The gold-plated and ancient money-patterned nail sleeves that still exist today are enough to prove their luxury.