Buffalo horn toggle in the shape of a soy bean. The soy bean is one of the most important items in Chinese food. From it is made bean curd (dou fu) and soy milk (dou nai). At Chinese weddings, the mother-in-law gives her new daughter-in-law a cake made from dried bean curd (dou gan) symbolizing a wish that one day her sons will be high officials (da guan). Buffalo horn is hard to date but we believe that this toggle dates from the Qing period (1644 – 1912). Length 9.3 cm. Width 1.8 cm. Depth 1.5 cm.