A pendant that opens and has a small space inside where a photo or tiny keepsake can be stored is known as a locket. A popular gift for Valentine’s Day and other sentimental occasions, lockets are traditionally presented to a loved one, and almost always given with a picture of the person who gave the locket.
Lockets are highly collectable, often they are passed from generation to generation and hold photos of parents, grandparents or other ancestors. Because of the popularity of vintage lockets, most jewellers stock a good range of lockets based on traditional patterns – the most popular of these is Victorian.
Victorian women wore lockets for many reasons, as a result, lockets styled during the Victorian era were designed to suit their purpose. Perfume lockets have a more open design and include a brightly-coloured puff of fabric which can be soaked with perfume or a pleasant-smelling oil. Swivel, or spinner, lockets are designed to have two faces, one that has a design and the other – typically they also have spaces to hold photos. Another popular Victorian locket style that is still used today is distinguished by a more bucket-like shape, these lockets open like a box and have space inside that is suitable for storing pills, a lock of hair or even a little loose change.
Popular locket shapes are heart, oval, circle and rectangle – the heart is popular because of the tradition of keeping a photo of a loved one in the locket, the other shapes are popular for being a bit more roomy and easy to fit photographs into. Lockets are made from precious and semi-precious materials, most often gold and sterling silver.
When buying a locket online, consider the style and fashion sense of the person you’re buying for. Also, be sure to clarify whether the locket comes with a chain or cord – many retailers sell the locket on its own and charge extra for the necklace. If the locket comes with a chain or cord, check to see what length the person you’re buying for needs, and be sure you’re buying from an online retailer with a clearly worded refund and return policy to avoid potential problems later.
© Jewellery Box.org.uk 2006.
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