How to Tell the Age of a Locket

For centuries, lockets have been used to exchange love tokens.

Lockets are small items of jewelry which contain a keepsake or token of a loved one. In modern times this is likely to be a photograph, but in earlier centuries it would be a miniature painted portrait or a lock of hair. Unless an example has a datable gold or silver hallmark or happens to be inscribed with a year, it can be hard to tell the precise age of a locket. However, here are some tips which can help you to decide whether you are dealing with an example which is antique or relatively modern.

Instructions

1. Look to see how the locket is intended to be worn. In the 20th century, most lockets hang on the ends of necklaces. If a locket is attached to another form of jewelry, such as a brooch, this is a strong indicator of a pre-20th century date. Lockets attached to rings and bracelets enjoyed a vogue in the first half of the 19th century.

2. Inspect the compartment of the locket where the keepsake is kept. If this is hinged or open to the air, this is another sign of a 20th century piece. The keepsakes of antique lockets will be sealed behind glass or rock crystal.

3. Check to see whether the keepsake compartment contains a photograph. A keepsake can tell you a great deal about a locket's age, and the presence of a photograph would suggest a date no earlier than the 1860s. A photograph itself can be roughly dated according to the clothes and hair of the sitter. If there's no photograph, move onto the next step.

4. Look to see if the compartment contains a lock of hair. Until the start of the 20th century, hair was a popular keepsake, so the presence of such a lock is an indicator of an antique piece. Beyond that, the way in which the hair is presented can also provide some clues to aging. A piece of hair that has been plaited into a circle or trellis shape indicates an early to mid 19th century date. If you don't find any hair, consider the next step.

5. See if the compartment contains a miniature painted portrait. Before the invention of photography, this was the only way people could share a likeness of themselves. A painted portrait therefore suggests a date no later than the 1870s. There was also a fashion in the 1830s for portraits which just showed the loved one's eye.

6. Check the rear of the locket for an inscribed date, often accompanied by the name of the giver.

References

• "Jewelry Source Book," Diana Scarisbrick, 1998