Antique silver locket / reliquary with a hand-painted miniature porcelain image, inside a photo of a woman.

Antique silver locket / reliquary with a hand-painted miniature porcelain image, inside a photo of a woman.

Mexico circa 1910s

Size: 3 cm diameter x 7 mm H

A locket is a pendant that opens to reveal a space used for storing a photograph or other small item such as a lock of hair. Lockets are usually given to loved ones on holidays such as Valentine's Day and occasions such as christenings, weddings and, most noticeably during the Victorian Age, funerals. Historically, they often opened to reveal a portrait miniature.

Lockets are generally worn on chains around the neck and often hold a photo of the person who gave the locket, or they could form part of a charm bracelet. They come in many shapes such as ovals, hearts, prisms and circles and are usually made of precious metals such as gold or silver befitting their status as decorative jewellery.