T
here are any number of jewels that are Valentine’s coded. Hearts obviously top the list. Cupid or his arrows come in a close second. Just about anything set with red or pink gems transforms into a token of affection if given on Valentine’s day. Vintage lover’s eye jewels are a rarefied choice. Of all the fabulous Valentine’s jewelry options, lockets stand out for their unique ability to hold a photo, message or some other really small personal item.
Header image courtesy of Walters Faith.
Today, as in the past, lockets come in a wide range of styles from luxurious gem-covered gold designs to simple silver ones.
Monica Rich Kosann
Image courtesy of Loquet
Like many other sentimental jewelry styles, lockets are believed to have originated in England. Queen Elizabeth I is credited by many jewelry historians for popularizing lockets. During her reign in the 16th century, small portraits were placed inside a locket’s interior compartment. Elizabeth’s most famous locket was not a pendant, but a ruby ring which had a locket on the head of the design with two miniature enamel portraits. One depicted the monarch and the other her mother, Anne Boleyn.
Image courtesy of Temple St. Clair
With the invention of photography in the mid-19th century, miniature portraits were replaced by photographs of loved ones. Queen Victoria adored the style and contributed to making it a widespread trend. Her collection included locket pendants and bracelets with locket charms. A lock of hair was often coupled with an image in the lockets.
Today, as in the past, lockets come in a wide range of styles from luxurious gem-covered gold designs to simple silver ones. Several COUTURE talents including GURHAN, LOQUET, MONICA RICH KOSANN, TEMPLE ST. CLAIR and WALTERS FAITH have substantial subcategories devoted to lockets in their collections. Find out more about each of them below.
Image courtesy of Monica Rich Kosann
Monica Rich Kosann
Before becoming a jewelry designer, Monica Rich Kosann was a fine art photographer. Her background behind the lens of a camera makes it easy to understand why lockets are one of her favorite types of jewelry.
Image courtesy of Monica rich Kosann
Monica makes an endless variety of styles up and down the price scale. Some specialty lockets are shield-shaped. Others have frames for four images.
Image courtesy of Monica Rich Kosann
The collection also includes gate lockets that fan out to easily show images, half lockets without a top, silver styles and high jewelry lockets accented with precious stones.
Image courtesy of Monica Rich Kosann
Image courtesy of Monica Rich Kosann
Image courtesy of Temple St. Clair
Temple St. Clair
Many of the lockets in Temple St. Clair’s collection come in the shape of animals. The creatures are as glamorous as they are adorable. They also add a layer of symbolism to the locket. Among the creatures are turtles, that historically represent home.
Image courtesy of Temple St. Clair
Temple’s little reptiles have pavé-set emeralds or diamonds on their shells. Wise owls come in adult and baby sizes and feature all kinds of glorious gold work and colorful gems and diamonds.
Image courtesy of Temple St. Clair
Nature is the complementary theme to the creatures in Temple’s luxurious locket collection. One of the most powerful pieces has a Tree of Life, a symbol of connection, growth and the cycle of life, rendered in gold and diamonds. The reverse can be engraved with a message.
Image courtesy of Temple St. Clair
Image courtesy of Temple St. Clair
Image courtesy of Walters Faith
Walters Faith
“Thoughtful” and “textural” are two words that Walters Faith designer, Mollie Faith Good, uses to describe the jewelry in the collection. Both ideas can be seen in the label’s Pebble Lockets.
Image courtesy of Walters Faith
The style comes in small, medium and large sizes. Each one is covered on the surface with diamonds or color-coordinated gems such as emeralds and tsavorites or different shades of pink or blue sapphires or amethysts.
Image courtesy of Walters Faith
The range of colors and assorted sizes of stones create the texture. The thoughtful part is evident in the impactful minimalism and exquisite craftsmanship.
Image courtesy of Walters Faith
Image courtesy of Walters Faith
Image courtesy of Loquet
Loquet
The entire Loquet collection is all about lockets. But they are not the standard style. Sheherazade Goldsmith, the Creative Director and Founder, did something a bit different with her jewels.
Image courtesy of Loquet
The Loquet lockets are composed of clear crystal and gold. A hinged door on the side provides an opening where little gem set charms, sold separately, are inserted. A wide variety of charms are available, representing themes such as love, friendship, family and much more.
Image courtesy of Loquet
Image courtesy of Loquet
Image courtesy of Gurhan
Gurhan
Gurhan’s signature hammered 24-karat gold makes his lockets feel like historic treasures. The Turkish designer enhances the Old World vibes by accenting the lockets with diamonds and colorful precious gems.
Image courtesy of Gurhan
Occasionally, he even creates one-of-a-kind lockets, such as the one seen here featuring a butterfly with carved tourmaline wings.
Image courtesy of Gurhan
Gurhan’s treasure trove of lockets also includes silver designs that are variously engraved with patterns or decorated with openwork. Some of the silver pieces are lit up with white diamonds. Each provides a special kind of true romance for a Valentine.
Image courtesy of Gurhan
Image courtesy of Gurhan
Image courtesy of Loquet
Marion Fasel writes about history and contemporary trends in The Adventurine newsletter on Substack. The author of 11 books focusing on 20th-century jewelry design, Marion’s most recent publication, The History of Diamond Engagement Rings, was named “One of the best coffee table books for 2026” by The Wall Street Journal.
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