What distinguishes a locket from a pendant?

The principal difference is the interior compartment. A pendant is usually solid, or shows its principal image directly on the surface. A locket has a hinged or screw closure and one or more interior spaces able to hold hair, a photograph, an inscription or a small portion of ashes. The meaning therefore sits within the piece, not upon it.

How many interior compartments does a mourning locket have?

Usually one or two. Single-compartment lockets typically hold a lock of hair beneath rock crystal, or a small miniature. Double-compartment lockets combine the two - hair on one side and, on the other, a photograph, an inscription tablet or a second lock of hair belonging to another person. Three- and four-compartment lockets (for mothers with children, for instance) are rarer, but documented.

How is a mourning locket worn?

Classically on a gold chain beneath the dress - concealed directly at the throat or between the breasts. The gesture is private: unlike the visible mourning brooch, the locket does not display grief to the outside world but keeps it close to the wearer's body. On formal occasions it may also be worn visibly over the dress, but that is the rarer variant.

Are lockets still made today?

Yes, continuously - the locket is one of the few historical mourning jewellery forms to live on in an unbroken tradition. Modern workshops combine the classic concept of the hollow setting with contemporary forms of personalisation: laser engraving, fingerprints, the incorporation of ashes, photographic micro-engraving. The format is alive without interruption.

Mourning Locket

The mourning locket is a pendant worn on a neck chain with an interior compartment - a concealed carrier of hair, photograph or inscription that keeps the memento close to the body and has been, from the eighteenth century to the present, the most important private form of mourning jewellery.

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