Locket necklace: A Small Door, A Long Memory

At the V&A in South Kensington, a story of lockets lands in 1872: Queen Victoria gave a granddaughter a banded black and white onyx mourning locket to commemorate her half-sister Feodora. The phrase Locket necklace understates its double job: jewelry outside, private story within.

 

An earlier English locket in the V&A, made around 1810, put enamelled gold over plaited hair, with a serpent, a rose bush, and a butterfly around the frame. Queen Victoria later wore and gave hair jewelry as gifts of love and remembrance. I like that tension: a small, polished object outside, a whole history tucked behind the hinge.

 

The gold pieces here make the idea personal in different ways. Astley Clarke's Biography Medium fits two 16.5 mm photographs beneath its star-set white sapphire; the Biography Midi has space for two 10 mm images. Kinn's Maison Oval is 14k solid gold with one star-set diamond, while Monica Vinader's Siren is recycled 14k gold with a lobster clasp. Ben-Amun's round locket gives the chain a longer 24-inch line.

 

Before choosing, I would decide what belongs inside and compare the case's measurements with an actual print. Then check how the chain sits against the necklines you wear most. A locket should open without meeting a collar at the same moment.

The locket necklace can be sweet without being girlish; the heart shape already makes a clear point. I would decide whether the pendant should hold a photograph, a name, or no message at all before choosing the details.

 

The V&A records Princess Louise giving a locket to each attendant at her wedding in March 1871, while Queen Victoria's later onyx gifts remembered her half-sister. A locket could mark a celebration as readily as a loss.

 

Kinn's Maison Heart opens for a 10 x 10 mm heart-shaped photo, while Monica Rich Kosann's slim mini heart can hold two small pictures or a handwritten note. Fable England paints forget-me-nots beside a faux pearl and gives its heart a functional hinge; AllSaints uses mixed metal and a debossed logo. Set & Stones' Roxy is engraved with up to six characters, a simpler message than a picture.

 

I would pair a petite heart with an open collar and leave the rest of the chain stack quiet. Check the extender length and how easily the hinge opens, especially if a photograph will live inside. What I would skip: a crystal covered heart under an already detailed collar. A single clear detail gives the necklace more room to speak.

A photo compartment is only useful when the print fits the space inside, not the pendant you see from the front. I would measure the opening before choosing a picture, then keep a little margin for the frame.

 

A British locket made in 1871 at the V&A has glazed compartments containing hair. The private interior is the point, whether it holds hair, a photograph, or a short inscription. These modern cases make the choice more literal: some open, some engrave, and a few do both.

 

Astley Clarke's Aurora Weave accepts two 8 mm photographs, while Monica Vinader's Deia Pebble holds two and can be engraved. MADE BY MARY's Mini Oval fits two 8 x 11 mm photos; Monica Rich Kosann's Petite Initial combines initial engraving with two-photo capacity on a 30-inch chain. Kendra Scott's Tinsley is designed for complimentary engraving, and Fable England's Snake & Blossom has a photo compartment. Italian Gold's engraved heart and floral oval each have room for four pictures.

 

I would put the longer initial pendant over a fine knit and let a tiny oval stay close to a plain neckline. Check the inside measurement and the chain length, not just the outside width. What I would skip: ordering prints before checking the locket's interior dimensions.

Shape and chain length set the mood before a locket is opened. The V&A places mourning lockets at the height of their popularity from the 1860s through the 1880s, when compartments, initials, and black onyx could carry the feeling of the day.

 

An oval pendant reads quietly; a round case gives a little more surface for texture. Argento Vivo's initial oval has a hinged gold-plated brass case, while the Stacy keeps a polished oval on a 16-inch chain with a 2-inch extender. The ribbed round pendant measures 23 mm; Ben-Amun's fleur-de-lis medallion drops from a 38-inch chain. For a more formal finish, the engraved 14k gold oval pairs with the embossed sterling silver case that holds four photographs. Brook and York's compass pendant is 3/4 inch across, and Julianna B's floral locket has 0.09 carat total weight in diamonds.

 

I would wear the long medallion over a plain crewneck and save the smaller oval for an open shirt. Check the pendant drop and chain length against your usual necklines, then make sure the clasp is easy to close. What I would skip: a long chain when a high neckline and scarf are already competing for attention.

I would choose the inside first: one photograph, two, an engraving, or nothing to hide at all. Next I would choose the metal and outline, then compare chain lengths against the collars and knits I actually wear. A two-photo case has a different job from a diamond-fronted pendant, even if both read as gold at a glance.

 

The necklace makes sense when its hinge, insert, and length are deliberate choices, not details I notice after it arrives. Queen Victoria's gift kept one family story close; mine can be ordinary, which is exactly why a tiny private compartment still appeals.