The classic shape of the keeping-place: a puffy heart locket in silver. Vintage Silver Puffy Heart Locket Pendant
A locket is a pendant with a hinge and a secret: a little case that opens to hold a photograph, a lock of hair, or anything small enough to matter. It is jewelry's most personal invention, a private museum worn in public, and it has been beloved for five centuries precisely because nobody but the wearer needs to know what is inside.
Where do lockets come from?
From a world that needed portable memory. Renaissance lockets held painted miniature portraits; Georgian and Victorian ones held hair, the era's most durable keepsake of a person, woven and curled behind glass. Photography then changed the contents forever: from the mid-1800s the locket became the home of the photograph, cut carefully to fit each oval frame. War made lockets surge every time, worn by those waiting at home. The form barely changed through all of it, because it was right the first time: a case, a hinge, a heart's content.
What shapes and types do lockets come in?
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Oval and round | The classic photo locket, one or two frames inside |
| Heart | The sentimental favorite, often puffed for presence |
| Book locket | Opens like a tiny book, sometimes several "pages" |
| Mourning locket | Black enamel, hair compartments, remembrance inscriptions |
| Initial and monogram | Engraved with the owner's letters on the cover |
| Vinaigrette and photo-vinaigrette | Held a scented sponge behind a pierced grille, the era's portable perfume |
A monogrammed Swedish locket in 18K gold: somebody's G. Antique Swedish Initial Locket, 18K gold
How do you open an antique locket without breaking it?
Gently, from the right side. Find the seam and the small lip or notch opposite the hinge, hold the locket flat between fingers, and lift with a thumbnail at the lip, never with a knife tip pushed into the seam. If it resists, stop: old hinges are the weak point, and a sprung hinge is a jeweller repair. Dried decades of grime can seal a seam; a soft cloth and patience beat force every time. And if a locket arrives with contents, photograph them in place before touching anything; original contents are part of the object's story and often glued or fitted in ways that do not survive curiosity twice.
Swedish, 1930, with a diamond on the cover and its chain still along. Antique Diamond Locket, 14K gold, Sweden 1930
What is an antique locket worth?
The range is enormous, which makes lockets a wonderful collecting field. Silver Victorian lockets remain affordable entry points; gold lockets price by weight, karat and workmanship; and the premiums go to heavy cases, fine engraving, enamel work, stone-set covers and documented mourning pieces. Original contents, a period photograph, a woven curl, raise the human value more than the market one, and I think that is the right order. Check the hinge and the catch above all when buying: they are the moving parts, they take the wear, and a locket that will not close is a repair bill in waiting. The marks date and grade the case like any gold piece; my hallmark guide applies in full.
What do people put in lockets today?
Exactly what they always did, plus a few new tricks: photographs still rule, printed small and cut to the frame; a curl from a first haircut; a scrap of a wedding dress; a grandparent's handwriting reduced on a photocopier. Nothing electronic has replaced it, because the locket's entire point is that it is physical, private and worn against the body. If you inherit one with contents, treat them as the treasure and the gold as the box; and if you buy an empty antique locket, filling it is not disrespect, it is the job the object has been waiting to do again.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a locket and a pendant?
Every locket is a pendant, but a locket opens. The hinge and the hollow interior for keepsakes are what define it.
How do I get a photo to fit my locket?
Trace the locket frame on paper, cut the template, then cut the printed photo to match. Print small and matte; glossy photos stick to glass covers over time.
Why will my antique locket not close?
Usually a worn catch or a slightly sprung hinge, both common and both fixable by a jeweller. Do not force it closed; that bends the case and turns a small repair into a big one.
Are antique lockets valuable?
Silver ones are pleasantly affordable, gold ones price by weight and work, and heavy, enameled, stone-set or documented mourning lockets climb well. Condition of hinge and catch matters most.
Is it OK to wear a mourning locket with hair inside?
Yes. Keeping the contents intact and the piece worn is exactly what it was made for; most collectors see themselves as custodians of the person it remembers.
How should I clean a locket?
Outside only, with a soft cloth; never soak a locket, since water enters the case and damages contents and hinge alike. For gold and silver care, the general rules in my cleaning guide apply.
Read next: What is mourning jewelry? · What is Victorian jewelry? · What should you do with inherited jewelry?
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