Early Victorian 14K Gold and Enamel Locket

This is part of Chairish’s Fine Jewelry assortment.

Circa 1850, this 14k gold Victorian locket would have been worn as a reminder of a loved one. The forget-me-not flower was a meaningful symbol in Victorian jewellery. It has five petals, though it was often represented as a four or six-petaled variation of a flower, as seen in this piece. The flower is puffy and rounded, hand engraved to carve out the placement for the beautiful periwinkle blue enamel. In the flower’s centre is a six-pointed star containing a bead set natural pearl. Turkish and Moorish influences were just coming into play in the mid-19th century; the design in the enamel incorporates the middle eastern influences that were popular at the time.

On the backside is a locket that houses a braided bit of hair behind a circular glass plain. The locket may have been worn as mourning jewellery to remember a loved one—or perhaps worn by someone travelling far away from a lover for a long voyage. The forget-me-not symbolism and dark-coloured hair suggest that the piece was a romantic gesture to remind its wearer of the lover waiting for their return.

The locket weighs 4.45 grammes. It is 1” x 7/8” and is 3/16” thick. It has a 6mm bail. It is unmarked, but tests as 14k gold.