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 very pale celadon colored jade. On one side of the lock are four characters ‘Ji Xiang Ru Yi’ (吉祥如意) which mean 'Auspicious and Favorable' and on the other side are four more characters ‘Chang Ming Fu Gui’ (长命富贵) which mean ’Longevity with Wealth and Honor’. The lock was made in de 19th century (Qing period) and came from Cserno Antiek, an oriental antiques dealer in Amsterdam, in 2007. Length 6.6 cm. Height 5.1 cm. Depth 0.8 cm. Weight 64.7 grams.