Heart & Locket Jewelry Gift Guide: How to Choose a Meaningful Keepsake

Quick answer: A locket is one of the few pieces of jewelry that holds something back — literally. Instead of just looking beautiful, it carries a photo, a name, a memory. If you're choosing between styles, the short version is this: pick the Dainty Heart Locket ($92) for everyday, understated sentiment; the Long Oval Locket ($165) for a more elongated, modern look with a bit of sparkle; and the Long Heart Locket ($225) when you want the most substantial, milestone-worthy option.

Most jewelry says something about the person wearing it. A locket says something about who they carry with them. That's what makes it a different kind of gift than a birthstone necklace or a simple pendant — it's not just decoration, it's a small, private place to keep someone close.

Compare the Three Lockets

The Three Lockets, In Detail

Dainty Heart Locket Necklace — $92

A small heart locket on a delicate 14k gold-filled cable chain, built for daily wear rather than special occasions only. It layers easily with your other necklaces and opens to hold a small photo or keepsake without ever feeling bulky. Available in six fixed lengths — 15" through 20" — so it can sit at or near the collarbone depending on the length you choose.

This is the pick when the gift is meant to be worn constantly and thought about quietly, not saved for special occasions.

Long Oval Locket Necklace — $165

A polished oval locket with a small cubic zirconia accent, on an elongated 14k gold-filled chain in 24" or 27" lengths. Where the heart lockets lean sentimental, this one leans modern — the oval shape and the length give it a cleaner, more minimalist line that works equally well layered over a sweater or worn alone as the only piece.

This is the pick for someone whose style runs more contemporary than romantic, but who still wants the meaning a locket carries.

Long Heart Locket Necklace — $225

The most substantial piece of the three: a refined heart pendant on a heavier 14k gold-filled flat curb chain in 24" or 26" lengths. The flat curb chain catches light differently than a cable chain and sits with more visible weight and presence, so the whole piece reads as more of a statement than the dainty version — without losing the locket's quiet, personal function.

This is the pick for a milestone gift meant to feel more substantial than an everyday piece.

How to Choose Between Them

By budget

All three are 14k gold-filled, so you're not trading down on material at any price point — you're choosing scale and presence. $92 gets you the everyday piece, $165 the elongated modern shape, $225 the most substantial version.

By the person's style

If she wears mostly delicate, minimal jewelry day to day, the Dainty Heart Locket will actually get worn — a piece that feels too large or too formal for someone's daily habits tends to end up in a drawer. If her style already runs a little more elongated and modern, the oval shape will feel more like her. If she gravitates toward pieces with more visible presence, the Long Heart Locket is the one that won't feel like an afterthought next to her other jewelry.

By occasion

A locket rarely needs a "reason" the way some jewelry does, but certain occasions lean naturally toward one style over another:

• New motherhood or a new baby: the Dainty Heart Locket, worn daily, holding a photo that changes as the baby grows.
• Anniversary or a long relationship: the Long Heart Locket, for the gift that's meant to feel weightier than an everyday piece. See our Anniversary Jewelry Gift Guide for more ideas by year.
• A milestone gift for someone with a more modern style: the Long Oval Locket, especially for a recipient who doesn't usually wear anything overtly sentimental.
• Losing someone, or remembering someone: any of the three works, but the Dainty Heart Locket's everyday wearability tends to matter most here — it's meant to be lived in, not set aside for occasions.

Prefer the Heart Symbol Without the Locket?

If she loves the meaning of a heart but doesn't need a compartment for a photograph, a simpler heart pendant does the job. The Open Heart Necklace ($54) and Minimal Heart Necklace ($54) are understated everyday options, while the Heart Necklace with Birthstone ($58–$62) adds a personal touch through color and covers every birth month.

What to Put Inside

The obvious answer is a photo, and it's still the right one most of the time — but it doesn't have to be a formal portrait. A candid photo, cropped small and simple, often means more than a posed one. Some ideas beyond the expected:

• A photo of a baby or child at the age they are right now
• A pet who's no longer around
• A parent or grandparent, especially one who's passed
• A tiny handwritten note, folded small
• A snippet of a sonogram, for a push-present or new-baby gift — see our Push Present guide for more on that occasion specifically

If you're printing a photo at home to fit inside, a standard photo-editing or printing app will let you crop and scale it down — most locket openings are roughly the size of a fingernail, so simple, high-contrast images tend to read better than busy or detailed ones once they're that small.

Caring for a Locket

The metal itself holds up fine to normal daily wear and showers — gold-filled is built for exactly that. A locket adds one extra consideration the metal alone doesn't have: whatever's inside. If there's a paper photo or keepsake tucked in yours, that's what needs protecting, not the gold — keep a filled locket dry when you can, and skip the pool or a long swim so the interior stays intact. Keep the hinge dry too, and don't force it open if a photo is jammed inside; a gentle, patient touch keeps the mechanism working for years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you fit a photo in these lockets yourself?

Yes — each one opens to hold a small photo or keepsake. We'd recommend cropping and printing your photo at home before fitting it, rather than trying to trim a full-size photo on the spot.

Do the lockets come in different chain lengths?

Yes. The Dainty Heart Locket offers six fixed lengths from 15" to 20", so it can be sized for a shorter, closer fit or a longer, layering-friendly length. The Long Oval and Long Heart lockets are each available in two longer fixed lengths (24"/27" and 24"/26" respectively), designed to be worn as a standalone statement or layered over a shorter piece.

Is gold-filled a good choice for a locket you'll wear every day?

Yes — gold-filled is specifically suited to jewelry meant for constant wear, since the gold layer is bonded thick enough to hold up to daily use without the fading that gold-plated pieces are prone to. For the full explanation of what gold-filled actually is, see What Is Gold-Filled Jewelry?

What's the difference between the heart and oval shapes, beyond looks?

Mostly the overall feel of the piece. The heart lockets read as more overtly sentimental, while the oval — with its polished shape and small CZ accent — reads as more modern and minimal. Both hold a photo the same way; the choice comes down to which shape matches how the person you're buying for actually dresses.

Which One Should You Get?

If you're still deciding, the simplest way through it: buy for how she already wears jewelry, not for the occasion alone. Someone who lives in delicate, everyday pieces will wear the Dainty Heart Locket for years. Someone with a cleaner, more modern style will reach for the Long Oval. And when the moment genuinely calls for something more substantial — an anniversary, a milestone, a piece meant to feel like an heirloom in the making — the Long Heart Locket is the one that carries that weight.

Looking for other meaningful, personal gifts? See our Complete Guide to Personalized Jewelry, or browse gift guides for mom, daughter, and sister.

Handmade in our New York City studio since 2005 — 14k gold-filled and solid gold, built for everyday wear.