Heart Locket Charm Meaning

A heart locket charm is jewellery with a secret. Outside, a small polished heart surrounded by ripples of silver, and hand enamelled in turquoise or white; inside, a hinged space for whatever you cannot bear to leave at home. Few pieces of jewellery carry as much meaning.

A history of keeping love close: Lockets have been worn for centuries, but the Victorians made them famous. Queen Victoria wore a locket of Prince Albert's hair at her neck, writing in her journal in 1839 that she wore it night and day. After Albert died in 1861, mourning lockets holding photographs and locks of hair became central to how Victorians grieved, while sweethearts exchanged love lockets with the same devotion. Victoria herself had a bracelet hung with eight lockets, one for a lock of each of her children's hair.

What people keep inside: Photographs are the classic choice, but lockets have held pressed flowers, folded notes, a baby's first curl, a scrap of wedding lace and, in every era, hair from someone loved and missed. Whatever goes inside, the meaning is the same: this stays with me.

What the charm represents

Worn today, a heart locket charm stands for a bond too personal to wear on the outside. It can hold the memory of someone gone, a photo of someone new, or a promise between two people who know exactly what it says.

Who the heart locket suits

It is a beautiful gift for mothers, grandmothers, brides, new parents and best friends, and one of the most comforting remembrance gifts you can give. It suits anniversaries, Mother's Day, weddings, christenings and the quiet moments that need marking.

The design behind the heart locket charm

The Lily Charmed heart locket charm opens its tiny square shape on a tiny hinge and comes with a choice of faces: a soft turquoise or white front with bursts of silver, or or the same heart-shape with a delicate white face. Or if you are more of a star person than a heart person - our silver star locket charm (with blue central stone) is the one for you. All our locket charm designs are made in recycled 925 sterling silver with a tarnish-resistant rhodium plating, or plated in warm 18ct gold, and hang from a universal hinged clasp that fits Pandora bracelets and most charm carriers.

How to wear it

Fill it before you gift it. A locket that arrives with a photo or note already inside becomes an heirloom on day one. Wear it near the clasp of a bracelet or low on a necklace, close to the heart it stands for.

Keep the story going. Pair the heart locket with the tiny celestial locket charm or an initial charm, or browse our charm necklaces for a ready-made keepsake.