Antique Lockets: Types, How to Date Them and What They Are Worth

An antique locket is a hinged pendant at least 100 years old that opens to hold a photograph, portrait miniature, lock of hair or keepsake. Most on the market are Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian, in gold, silver or gilt metal, often engraved, enamelled or set with stones.

No. Lockets have been worn for centuries, from Georgian miniature lockets to Victorian photo and hair lockets and vintage gold hearts, and antique lockets are worn today on chains and charm bracelets. Their appeal is personal: what is inside matters more than fashion.

Look for a hallmark inside the rim, on the bale or on the back, whose date letter gives the year. Check the stamp, the hinge and catch, the decoration and the contents. Many Victorian lockets have no full hallmark, so a specialist dates them by construction and style.

Back and front, often stamped BACK & FRONT, means the locket's front and back panels are gold, usually 9KT, while the frame, hinge and inner rims are base metal. It was common on Victorian and Edwardian lockets. It is not solid gold, and it is valued below a fully gold locket.

A hair locket holds a lock of hair, plaited or laid flat behind glass, as a keepsake of someone living or dead. They were especially popular in Victorian Britain, often as mourning jewellery with black enamel or an inscribed name and date. Original hair and inscriptions add to their interest.

Many are. A hallmarked silver locket carries its silver value and often more: Victorian lockets with fine engraving, book and heart shapes, and pieces with original photographs or hair are collected. Condition of the hinge and catch matters. Send photographs of the front, back, inside and marks.

A locket ring has a small hinged compartment under the bezel to hold hair, a tiny portrait or a little scent. They were made from the Georgian period onwards, often as mourning or sentimental rings, and are sometimes called poison rings, although keepsakes were their usual purpose.

Yes. Victorian and Edwardian men often wore a locket as a fob on a watch chain, holding a photograph or hair, and gold lockets for men were also made in the 20th century. A locket on an Albert chain is one of the most common men's pieces from that period.

Open the locket and trace the inside of the frame on paper to get the shape. Print or cut the photograph slightly larger, trim it to the outline, and press it in behind the glass or bezel. In antique lockets, keep any original photograph or hair and store it rather than discarding it.

A solid gold locket of 9KT or 18KT with a strong hinge and a secure catch, on a chain sturdy enough for its weight. Silver lockets are lighter but tarnish, and back and front lockets suit occasional wear. Check the hinge and catch before buying an antique locket for daily wear.