The desire to have long beautiful nails first began during China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when aristocratic women grew their nails up to 10 inches long as a sign that they performed no manual labor. To protect their nails, they often sheathed them in gold or silver. Chinese men also grew long nails as a sign of their masculinity and to protect themselves from evil. Applied by Indian temple dancers, a ring on their fingers was equipped with a metal nail prolongation like a thimble. It was made out of gold to intensify the expressiveness of the dance. Our fascination with long nails continues to grow, and has established nails as a multi-billion dollar industry.