Jade flowers were re-used as a decoration on paper weights, boxes and other objects. This particular one is mounted on a white metal matchbox cover, most probably made of ‘paktong’. Paktong (白銅) literally means ‘White copper’ and was used to imitate sterling silver. In fact it contains about 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc and no silver at all. It was first known in China during the Qing period (1644 – 1912) before it became fashionable in the West. The bottom of the cover is engraved with plum flowers and a magpie which are a popular theme in China as they represent the saying 'May your joy reach as high as your eyebrows (Xishang meishao)'. The magpie (xique) is a bird of joy and the plum (mei) is a pun for 'eyebrows' while the top of the plum tree (mei shao) is a pun for 'top of one's eyebrows'. When we acquired this matchbox cover in America, it still contained a box of old safety matches. The cover dates from the 1930’s. A similar type of flower (nr 248) is depicted in professor Cheng Te-k’un’s book ‘Jade Flowers and Floral Patterns in Chinese Decorative Art’.