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Behind all iconic jewellery pieces there is always an amazing story to accompany them… and locket necklaces are no exception.
Whether it’s a gift from a loved one, a time capsule from a special moment in time, an heirloom passed down from one family member to another or a self love gift that holds personal, sentimental meaning to you, a locket necklace is a iconic jewellery piece that always holds deep reverence and purpose.
What is a locket necklace? A keeper of precious people and memories, a locket necklace is a piece worn by those seeking connection to loved ones and in our opinion it’s the next best thing to a hug, with a locket necklace allowing you to hold a loved one close to your heart and stay connected daily.
To get the most out of your locket necklace we’ve created a bespoke guide that talks you through what a locket necklace is, the history of locket necklaces and how to put a picture in a locket to create a meaningful memento you can keep close.
Get the lowdown about locket necklaces below.
History of Locket Necklaces
Not to nerd out too much, but it’s always nice to know the original meaning of jewellery and how often things begin with one meaning and transcend in time to even richer or newer meanings while often still carrying the original sentiment throughout the centuries.
When it comes to locket necklaces, the original meaning of what a locket necklace is was as a talisman or family crest that helped people identify which family clans belonged to. Early in the 16th Century locket necklaces were often hand painted and had monograms or a family crest carved onto the surface.
As things evolved into the 18th century, locket necklaces became a little more visible and literal in their connection to people, with real life hair from a loved one stored and worn in the centre of a translucent encased locket.
It was said that the locks of hair were from loved ones who had passed which is why they were held inside a heart shaped locket to represent the love for that person no longer more. Interestingly, an original locket with Marie Antoinette’s hair is stored in the British Museum archives - if ever in London.
Skip to the 20th Century and it was no longer about ‘what is a locket necklace?’ as much as it was ‘ohhh what photo or / who is worthy of being kept in the locket?’ From 20-21st century it became a symbol of love, whether romantic or familial or friend, locket necklaces took on a more sentimental meaning.
Sentimentality aside, locket necklaces are seriously IN right now.
According to The Wall Street Journal, with social media meaning it’s hard to find privacy or enjoy love without the pressure for visible PDA so “in the world of jewellery, the habit of keeping secrets close to your heart has become fashionable again (through locket necklaces).
They have officially coined this period a renaissance for lockets and suggest the pull is based on them being “heirlooms that represent a moment in time.” Something we agree with and also think make for a nice way to practise gratitude, using the locket as an anchor point to come back to happy days or moments - which in the age of a pandemic feels essential.
Purchase a locket necklace for your own keepsake when apart from loved ones or gift a locket necklace to someone near and dear to you and either let them choose a photo or gift it to them with a picture of something meaningful already inside (such as a friend’s children, a grandparent, a pet).
How To Put Your Picture In A Locket Necklace
So how do you put a picture in a locket? It sounds simple but often we purchase a sentimental piece like a locket necklace with the thoughtful intention of using it, then life gets in the way and we never get around to adding the picture we want it to hold because it’s fiddly.
In good news for those who purchase a Francesca locket necklace, we take the hard work out for you. Rather than having to wonder how to put a picture in a locket necklace or googling how to fit it to custom size, we make it easy by offering a bespoke service and fitting your photos for you as part of the purchase.
Purchase any locket necklace with us and it’s as easy as hitting the upload button, attaching your pics and voila, gone is the endless wondering how to put your picture in locket necklace, it’s automatically added for you.
The only consideration you have to make is deciding what locket necklace shape and size will fit and suit your personal photo best. We do the rest!
Within our Francesca locket necklaces collection we offer a range of oval, rectangle and circular shapes in both solid gold, rose gold and sterling silver to suit you and your beloved keepsake.
For oval style shapes, we recommend the Oval Locket Necklace, for smaller circular styles try either the Ellis Locket Necklace and for rectangular styles (and traditional framing dimensions) we love the Treasure Locket Necklace and the Bevel Locket Necklace.
In regards to how we put your pictures in a locket, we ask that you read the specifics below and check out our service and terms and conditions before confirming your purchase.
As all our locket necklaces are custom pieces, we kindly ask that you allow 2-3 business days for us to process and create your bespoke locket with your provided images.
The specifics:
- Our lockets are only designed to hold two photos.
- The image will be printed in black and white on glossy 200gsm photo paper.
- Chosen images will only be printed for the box and locket, no extra copies will be provided.
- Printing is a complimentary service, cropping and quality of images is done in house and may vary.
- Please see full terms and conditions here.
How To Open A Locket Necklace
We wouldn’t be the go-to jewellery experts without giving you a practical guide on how to open a locket necklace. Again, sounds simple, but is surprisingly challenging if it’s a well sealed, firm, new locket or you have long manicured nails.
Follow our practical tips below for easy ways to learn how to open a locket necklace that is holding onto those beloved pics extra tight.
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Try tweezers - using a thin pair of tweezers attempt to slide one side inside the locket then expand tweezers to prize or pop the insert open.
- Nail it - If you have thin and sturdy nails then one method is to slide it between the locket on the opposite side to the catch. If you work at niggling it from the back the front should pop open.
- Pinpoint it - If the other two methods are still not easy due to how delicate and thin the clasp around the locket necklace is, the last way to learn how to open a locket necklace is to try a needle or pin. Grab a sewing kit, slide the pin around the clasp until you find a spot to push into it and insert the pin then leverage it open that way.