Paris, around 1870. A lady sits at her dressing table, opens a small oval locket hanging from a gold chain around her neck, and gently presses the hinge with her thumb. The lid clicks open. On the left is a painted miniature of her husband; on the right, behind a thin layer of rock crystal, a lock of his hair. It is a gesture she makes many times a day — opening it, looking briefly, closing it. For her, the locket is not just a decoration but a daily encounter.
Locket are among the most personal jewellery pieces that exist. They are designed to preserve something: a portrait, a lock of hair, a dried flower, later a photograph. The form is ancient, but its heyday was between 1800 and 1920. In those one hundred and twenty years, the locket successively became a wearable portrait gallery, a mourning relic, an Edwardian jewel, and a photo holder for the modern middle class. The key to dating lies not in the front — which can be very decorative or very plain — but in what is inside.
The Meaning
What makes a locket unique is its dual function: externally it presents something to the world, internally it preserves something for the wearer alone. This combination made it the quintessential gift for milestones — engagement, marriage, birth, loss. Almost every old locket contains a story that is not immediately obvious, and that is precisely its appeal.
In the early nineteenth century, miniature portraits were the standard content. Painted on ivory or parchment, often no larger than a thumbnail, they gave the wearer a real face to look at during times when long separations (military service, colonial posts, ordinary mourning) were the norm. Alongside the portrait was often hairwork — a twisted braid, a symbolic monogram, a curved curl forming a letter.
With the advent of photography, the content shifted. The daguerreotype (from 1839) was the first technique to appear in lockets, followed by the ambrotype (from the 1850s) and from circa 1860 by paper photographs — albumen prints and carte-de-visite formats that fit well into a locket. This also changed the shape: photo lockets are slightly flatter, have larger interior frames, and thicker glass covers to protect the fragile image. For quick dating: a painted miniature or an early photographic plate (daguerreotype, ambrotype) points to the earliest period, while small paper photographs appear in lockets from the 1860s — not only after 1880.
Through the Periods
Early Victorian lockets (1837–1860) are often substantial, oval, and made of 15 or 18 carat yellow gold. The front may be chased with flowers, a geometric guilloché pattern, or a monogram; inside, there is usually one compartment with a portrait miniature or a hair composition behind crystal, sometimes with a second compartment at the back. For broader context, see the Victorian style guide. Hinges are solid, with a single pin passing through from above; the closure is a simple hook mechanism.
Mid-Victorian mourning lockets (1860–1880) are more often black enamelled, or made of jet, with gold letters ('In memoriam', a death date). The interior is almost always a hair compartment, sometimes with a miniature portrait. These pieces are closely related to the mourning jewellery from the same period.
Edwardian lockets (1901–1910) are a separate class: refined, flat, often in engraved 9 or 15 carat with a small glass compartment for a photograph. See the Edwardian style guide. Guilloché engraving under transparent enamel is a classic Edwardian technique — a thin layer of enamel through which the underlying pattern can still be seen. These lockets almost date themselves: simplicity, symmetry, often a monogram or a single flower on the front.
Art nouveau lockets (1895–1910) break with symmetry: a woman's profile with flowing hair, a dragonfly, an asymmetrical curl. For the spirit of the time, see the art nouveau style guide. They are often made in silver, sometimes with plique-à-jour enamel, and are highly sought after today.
After 1920, lockets became smaller, rounder, and more decorative; their intimate function diminished as photography became commonplace. Retro lockets from the 1930s-1950s are often more fanciful in shape (heart, flower, clover) but less rich in content.
The hinge is one of the best dating tools.
How to Recognise an Original
The hinge is one of the best dating tools. In early Victorian work (before 1870), the hinge is usually a single solid pin, visible at the top of the locket. Later models have smaller, hidden hinges with two small balls on the side. Edwardian lockets often have a fine, almost invisible hinge completely recessed into the border.
Next, look at the glass. Rock crystal (real crystal, not glass) is slightly thicker at the edges and has a minimal grey colour cast. Modern glass is homogeneously clear and thinner. In hair compartments, the glass is often slightly domed at the top to allow space for the hair beneath; a flat modern glass pressing too tightly on the hair is almost always a later repair.
Hair compartments themselves deserve attention. Original hairwork is structured — a braid, a symmetrical curl, a loop forming an initial. Loose, free-floating hair in a locket indicates repair or manipulation. In a portrait on ivory, you often see fine cross-hatching under a magnifying glass; in a daguerreotype, you see a mirroring silvery surface; in a later photographic print, you see the characteristic yellow or sepia tone of albumen.
Finally, the opening. Never force a locket that does not open smoothly. Antique hinges are fragile, and the thin edges near the clasp break easily. If necessary, use a wooden dowel or a thin bamboo toothpick to gently tap along the edge; never a screwdriver, never a knife, and never heat. For a stuck locket that has emotional or financial value, a specialised restorer is the safe route.