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| Victorian Heart Locket with Brilliants |
Lockets are the ultimate gift of love, adoration and romance, in my opinion!
Lockets have been around for centuries, a vessel to hold a precious keepsake or memento. The Victorian Era, however, more than any period, brought lockets into vogue and the lockets from the Victorian period are some of my most beloved.
My fascination for the Victorian Era commenced with my first prized locket of that epoch. So I did a little sleuthing on the era ... turns out Prince Albert and Queen Victoria shared an ardent love for one another. They had nine children in their 21 years of marriage (wow and wow on both counts) and with each birth, Victoria was presented with a tiny locket filled with a snippet of the infant’s hair and inscribed with the birthdate. I love this idea, don't you? This thoughtful and lovely tradition would be a beautiful way to celebrate the birth of a baby today.
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| Aesthetic Design Locket |
Some of the most ornate and fabulous lockets span throughout Victorian times. In a variety of shapes, there are oval puffy lockets that contain glass inserts holding delightful antique photographs. There is also the secret compartment locket that held a photograph or token sequestered within a hidden door in the back. Mourning lockets, also known as funeral lockets became prevalent especially after the Prince passed away because the Queen went into an extensive period of mourning. The lockets were given when a loved one passed away as a token of remembrance. Some lockets contain braided hair, which was a Victoriana art form.
Since the Victorian Era spanned so many decades the designs were varied. Popular were lockets decorated in Etruscan revival style, taille d’epargne enameling, those set with agates, adorned with attractive monogramming, or buckle motif, set with pearls, turquoise, diamonds or paste. In addition, the appealing aesthetic movement was a popular theme with delightful Japanese nature motifs and birds; many were in sterling silver.
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| Taille d'Epargne Enameled Locket |
There was much symbolism contained as well. For example pearls were symbolic of tears; the buckle for strength and protection; the garter symbol which exhibited loyalty and brotherhood; the fleur-de-lis, a stylized flower, is the symbol of light and hope, also meaning trinity; ivy for everlasting life; the wreath a symbol of victory.
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| Fleur de Lys Locket |
I have been blessed to have a diverse selection of Victorian lockets over the years. Always a thrill to discover, each locket is unique and special. A perfect gift for a loved one, lockets are evermore timeless treasures. How can you resist any one of these beauties? xo
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| Remembrance Locket with Pearls |
