History
During the Ming Dynasty of China, noblewomen wore very long artificial nails as a
status symbol indicating that, unlike commoners, they did not have to do manual labor.
In the late 20th century, artificial nails for women became widely popular all over
the world.
Musical Usage
Musicians who play stringed instruments may wear artificial nails as an aid in playing.
Some guitarists like Don Ross are known for doing so. Antoine Dufour, a fellow Candyrat
records artist, has also stated that he uses fake nails to aid in his tone production
in his interviews. Many intermediate and advanced classical and finger-style guitarists
use varieties of fake nails to obtain a consistent and bright tone with each pluck.
The players of many ancient Chinese instruments, like the guqin, pipa, and ruan,
also commonly used artificial nails.