A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object, by supplying secret information, by a combination thereof, or it may only be able to be opened from one side, such as a door chain.
A typical modern padlock and its keys
Bronze lock in a form of scorpion from Nalanda, India, 10th century.
Medieval Gothic lock, from the 15th–16th centuries, made of iron, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
Drunk man's lock at the bottom (black lock) and a regular modern lock at the top
Nickel silver, maillechort, German silver, argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, or alpacca is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver does not contain the element silver. It is named for its silvery appearance, which can make it attractive as a cheaper and more durable substitute. It is also well suited for being plated with silver.
"German silver" hair comb by Bruce Caesar
Tracing a cross onto a piece of crude nickel silver at a workshop in San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
Nickel silver pieces from the Ruth Cortez Rodriguez workshop in Mexico
19th century banjos used German silver rims over wood for tonal quality and appearance