A vintage gilded silver nail cover with intricate carved work

A single vintage Chinese gilded silver nail cover  with inset tourmaline stones, coral and other stones ; intricately detailed with silver carvings on all sides. 

Chinese fingernail guards have been used in China for hundreds of years, as symbols of wealth and social status by the members of the Chinese court. They were often made with silver and gold and came to feature intricate patterns,  and studded with precious stones. This antique Chinese export gilded silver fingernail guard  features several colorful semi precious stones- coral, green, and red and is intricately carved on all sides. The stones are arranged to form a a floral pattern at the base from which a row of stones (4) are arranged with the largest at the base.

The fingernail guard has a wide base that tapers to the top to form a talon -like shape with eh wide base accommodating the finger nail. The guard is curved with intricate carvings on the inside arch.
The nail guard  is in very good condition and has not been polished or altered in any way.