Collar clasps were used to close the high collars of women’s dresses worn by the upper classes in China. They were common during the Ming period (1368 – 1644) and remained popular until the beginning of the 20th century. Most clasps were made or silver or gilt bronze but a wealthy woman had collar clasps made of gold or jade. The gold clasps in the photos accompanying this introduction form part of the collection of the Municipal Museum in Nanjing and all date from the Ming dynasty. Most of the jade clasps in the Lowlands-collection date from the same period but a few are of later date.