Vintage Engraved Locket
A vintage engraved locket carries personal history close to the chest, fashioned in gold, silver, and precious metals across successive stylistic eras.
Vintage Engraved Locket
A vintage engraved locket is a hinged pendant designed to hold miniature portraits, hair, or keepsakes, worn near the heart on a chain or fob. These pieces range from substantial solid silver lockets and gold front and back designs to delicate heart-shaped padlocks and pocket watch style pendants.
The pieces on this page span the Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco periods, alongside mid-century examples from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Heart shapes, octagonal forms, shields, and round pendants dominate the selection, often carrying deep personal or sentimental significance.
Makers and makers' marks appear sporadically across the items, featuring distinguished silversmiths such as Samuel Pemberton and Albert Ernest Jenkins, alongside French medals and British hallmarked pieces. Buyers will find everything from simple silver photo lockets to high-carat gold jewels set with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and old cut diamonds.
Materials and Technique
Metals form the core of these items, utilising sterling silver, silver gilt, rolled gold, and varying purities of yellow and rose gold from nine carat up to eighteen carat. Many lighter pieces utilise a gold back and front construction over a base metal core, while others rely on solid silver or heavy gold sheet.
Surface ornamentation is achieved through hand engraving, featuring elaborate floral motifs, swallow birds, scrolls, and geometric patterns typical of the period. Stones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are flush or bezel set into high carat gold mounts, alongside marcasite and enamel details.
Vintage Engraved Locket Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for vintage engraved locket among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Listings span the Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco eras, executed in sterling silver, rolled gold, and nine to eighteen carat gold.
Distinctions in Quality
Quality rests primarily on the depth and crispness of the hand engraving, where sharp, deeply incised floral and geometric patterns distinguish master work from routine production. The choice of metal weight, from solid eighteen carat gold down to thin gold back and front shells, creates a distinct tactile difference.
The integrity of the internal frames and the snap of the hinge and clasp dictate the mechanical excellence of a piece. Finer examples retain their original glass covers inside, while pieces set with genuine gemstones or bearing verifiable maker marks command greater attention from collectors.
Samuel Pemberton·Albert Ernest Jenkins
The Vintage Engraved Locket Glossary
- Back and front
- A construction method where the front and rear plates of the locket are made of gold, while the interior rims and framing utilise a base metal or brass core for structural support.
- Vesta case
- A small portable box designed to hold wax matches, frequently fitted with striker grooves and matching the engraved decoration of contemporary lockets.
- Vinaigrette
- A small ornamental box featuring a perforated internal grille, used during the Georgian and Victorian eras to hold a sponge soaked in aromatic vinegar.
- Hallmark
- An official stamp applied to precious metals indicating the standard of purity, the assay office, and the year of manufacture.
- Puffy heart
- A three-dimensional hollow heart pendant fashioned from two embossed metal halves soldered together, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Vintage Engraved Locket: Frequently Asked Questions
What fits inside a vintage engraved locket?
These pieces typically hold small paper photographs, locks of hair, or thin fabric keepsakes tucked behind internal metal rims or glass panels.
Many retain their original frames, though older examples from the Georgian and Victorian periods were frequently used to house sentimental memorial miniatures.
How do I care for silver and gold lockets?
Precious metals benefit from gentle cleaning with a soft cloth to preserve the hand-engraved details and avoid wearing down thin gold layers.
Harsh chemical dips should be avoided, particularly on pieces with internal glass compartments or set with delicate gemstones.
How can I tell a Victorian locket from an Edwardian one?
Victorian pieces often feature heavier solid silver or gold construction with bold, romantic motifs, mourning symbols, or ornate repoussé work.
Edwardian designs tend towards lighter, airier high-carat gold mountings, incorporating platinum accents, delicate floral engraving, and precious gemstones like sapphires and diamonds.
Were all lockets worn as necklaces?
While most functioned as pendants suspended from chains, many were also attached to pocket watch chains, chatelaines, or worn as charms on bracelets.
Some specialised forms, such as pocket watch style lockets and stamp cases, served entirely different daily functions while retaining the hinged locket format.