Locks were said to prevent abduction by evil spirits because the owner was tied to the earth by the lock and could not be taken away. Different materials were used although silver was most popular as material. Children and young woman would wear locks around their neck and we believe that this jade lock may have been worn by a young lady because it is too large for a child. It is made of a pale greyish colored jade. On one side of the lock are four characters 'Duo Feng Ri Yue' which means 'The moon shines, the wind rages' and on the other side is a depiction of stormy weather. The border of the lock is pierced and decorated with two lingzhi fungus (Longevity), a lotus flower (Continuous Harmony), an orchid (Humility, Modesty and Beauty) and a basket which is a symbol of Old Age and belongs to Lan Caihe (蓝采和), one of the 'Eight Immortals’’ . The lock was made in de 19th century (Qing period) and came from the Rudolph Voll collection in California in 2013. Length 6.4 cm. Width 2.7 cm. Depth 0.6 cm. Weight 65.3 grams. For information on Rudolph Voll see Quick Find 4777.