Introduction
Lockets are a kind of pendants which are designed as small cases. The wearer can place some tiny mementos like small photographs, a lock of hair etc. Lockets are best suited to be worn with a chain.
Lockets through History
Lockets are part of traditional jewelry, particularly evocative of the Victorian era. In the Victorian era, young women used to wear lockets that had pictures of their lovers or betrothed in them. In those days, a lock of hair from a loved one, often encased in a locket, suggested serious intentions. This was often followed by a marriage proposal.
The mourning locket was another practice of this time. The mourning locket had a lock of hair or a tiny picture of the deceased. Mourning for a departed husband was a strict practice in those days. The widow had to wear black for the whole year and the only jewelry she could wear was the mourning locket. Departure from these norms was interpreted as a lack of respect for the deceased, and had serious repercussions.
In our times, lockets are free of such associations. Lockets are worn by anyone who wants to carry a picture of a dear one- a boyfriend/ girlfriend, husband/wife, child, grandchild or parents. Some lockets are designed in such a way that they can carry a larger number of photos.
The latest thing in lockets is perhaps ‘flash memory’ modules. These modules are designed to store many pictures on a lanyard. The day may not be far when someone combines the two concepts and brings out aesthetically designed flash memory lockets which can store a large number of your photos.
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