Yellow Gold Heart Locket
A yellow gold heart locket holds photographs or hair behind a hinged cover, carrying personal sentiment across Victorian, Edwardian and mid-century eras.
Yellow Gold Heart Locket
When you search for a yellow gold heart locket, you encounter pieces designed to hold personal keepsakes close to the chest. These items range from compact Victorian and Edwardian examples to vintage mid-century pendants.
The selections span distinct periods including Victorian, Edwardian, 1930, 1940, 1950, and 1960. You will find puffy heart pendants, engraved charm designs, and hinged lockets alongside related rings and brooches.
Many items combine the gold heart form with supplementary gemstones. Diamonds, seed pearls, rubies, amethysts, turquoise, emeralds, and enamel frequently appear across the selection.
How they were made
Jewellers utilised varying purities of gold, constructing pieces from 9ct yellow gold, 15ct gold, and 18ct yellow gold. Some vintage variations utilise a gold back and front construction method.
Surface decoration involved hand engraving, guilloche enamel, and flush or star settings for diamonds, rubies, and seed pearls. Memorial and sentimental pieces often integrated hair work beneath glass compartments.
Several Victorian pieces contain concealed compartments originally meant for locks of human hair rather than photographs.
What varies in quality
The intricacy of the hand engraving and the quality of the set gemstones dictate overall refinement. Intricate guilloche enamel work and well-matched natural pearls or old cut diamonds elevate the piece.
The Yellow Gold Heart Locket Glossary
- Puffy heart
- A hollow or dimensional heart pendant with rounded faces on both sides. This form allows for substantial visual presence without excessive weight.
- Guilloche enamel
- A decorative technique where enamel is applied over engine-turned metalwork. It produces geometric patterns visible beneath a translucent coloured glass surface.
- Gold back and front
- A manufacturing method where the exterior sheets of the locket utilise gold while the internal structure employs a base metal or lining. This technique provided durability and reduced weight.
- Old cut diamond
- A precursor to the modern brilliant cut diamond, characterised by a smaller table, higher crown, and a culet at the base. These stones exhibit hand-cut facets typical of antique jewellery.
- Seed pearl
- A very small natural or cultured pearl, often drilled and threaded or glued into jewellery settings. They frequently accent Edwardian and Victorian floral or heart designs.
Yellow Gold Heart Locket: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open a locket?
Most hinged lockets possess a small thumbnail notch along the side seam. Gentle pressure with a fingernail or thin tool releases the catch.
Avoid forcing stiff hinges, as antique gold can distort under uneven pressure. A professional jeweller can lubricate or adjust stubborn mechanisms safely.
Can I put a photo inside?
Many lockets retain their original internal frames and transparent mica or glass covers. You can trim thin paper photographs to fit the interior cavity.
Historic pieces often contained hair work or painted miniatures rather than photographs. Modern thin prints slip behind the metal bezels easily.
What is 15ct gold?
Fifteen carat gold is a specific purity standard containing 62.5 percent pure gold. British assay offices used this standard until the twentieth century.
Pieces bearing this mark sit between 9ct and 18ct gold in composition. They offer a distinct warm yellow tone common in Victorian and Edwardian items.
How do I date my locket?
Dating relies on hallmark stamps, manufacturing techniques, and stylistic clues. Victorian and Edwardian examples often feature distinct chased motifs or specific gold purities.
Comparative analysis of gemstone cuts and closure mechanisms helps narrow the production era. British hallmarks provide the most precise date markers when present.