Best Locket Necklaces 2026: Gold, Heart & Metal Guide

Searching for the best locket necklaces usually means you're shopping for something sentimental — a keepsake to hold a photo of someone you love, a gift for a mom, a graduation, or a memory you want to carry close. That makes a locket different from most jewelry buys: you're not just picking a pretty piece, you're choosing something that has to open, close, and protect a tiny photo for years. This guide covers the parts that actually matter — which metals hold up and stay skin-safe, how to pick a shape and size, how to open a locket and get a photo inside without damaging it, chain lengths, and what to look for so the hinge doesn't fail on you.

We'll also cover two things most locket roundups skip entirely: how to give a locket as a gift when you don't yet have the photos, and how the metal underneath any gold plating — not the label on the box — decides whether a locket will irritate sensitive skin.

What makes a locket necklace worth buying

A locket is a small pendant that opens on a hinge to hold one or more photographs (or another small keepsake). Unlike a solid pendant, it has moving parts — which means build quality matters more. A cheap locket's hinge can loosen or the two halves can stop sitting flush, so the piece gapes open. The best locket necklaces feel solid when they click shut, open smoothly with a fingernail or a gentle press, and hold their photos snugly behind a rim or clear window so nothing slides around.

If you're new to the category and want a broader primer on styles, symbolism, and history before you shop, our complete locket necklace guide walks through every locket type in one place, and our locket necklace meaning explainer covers what lockets have symbolized across different cultures and eras.

Best metals for a locket necklace (and hypoallergenic notes)

Because a locket sits against your chest for hours and gets handled every time you open it, metal choice drives both how long it lasts and whether it stays comfortable on sensitive skin. Here's how the common options compare.

This is the first gap most locket roundups skip: they'll list "gold locket" without saying whether it's solid gold or a micron of gold over brass — and those two wear completely differently at the hinge, which is exactly where a locket gets the most friction. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, nickel allergy is one of the most common causes of contact dermatitis, and "hypoallergenic" has no regulated legal definition in the US — so the base metal underneath any plating, not the label, is what actually determines whether a locket will irritate your skin. For a locket specifically, this matters more than for a stud, because the hinge and rim rub against skin and clothing all day and are the first spots to wear through.

Locket shapes and sizes: heart, oval, round

Shape is mostly about meaning and taste, but it also affects how a photo fits inside. Round and oval lockets hold standard trimmed photos most easily; heart lockets are the most sentimental but the pointed shape means photos need more careful trimming. Here's how the classic shapes and sizes compare.

If you're specifically weighing a heart-shaped keepsake, our heart locket necklace guide goes deeper on heart shapes, photo trimming for the point, and styling. And if this is a gift for your mother, our locket necklace for mom guide covers the shapes and engraving ideas that land best for that occasion.

Chain length: the detail most locket guides ignore

This is the second gap most "best locket" content skips: a locket lives or dies on where it sits, and that's the chain, not the pendant. A locket is heavier and thicker than a flat pendant, so it needs a chain that's rated to carry it without kinking, and a length that lets it rest where you want. The two most common lengths are 18 inches and 20 inches.

For a full breakdown of how necklace lengths map to necklines and layering, our broader necklaces collection pairs lockets with chains in complementary lengths so you can build a layered look rather than wearing a locket alone.

How to open a locket and put a photo inside

This is the part buyers actually search for after they own a locket — and most product pages never explain it. Here's the safe method that won't scratch the finish or bend the frame.

1. Find the opening point. Most lockets open on the side opposite the hinge (the hinge is the small barrel where the two halves connect near the top). Look for a tiny lip, notch, or seam on the edge.
2. Open it gently. Slide a fingernail — not a knife or metal tool, which will scratch — into the seam and apply light, even pressure. A well-made locket releases with a soft give. If it resists hard, you're likely prying the wrong edge.
3. Trim the photo to the template. Many lockets come with a plastic or paper template. Trace it onto your printed photo and cut just inside the line so the photo tucks fully behind the rim. Print photos small and matte if you can — glossy photos can stick to the glass window.
4. Seat the photo behind the rim or window. Slide the trimmed photo under the metal lip or clear cover so it lies flat. If the locket holds two photos, do each side before closing.
5. Close until it clicks. Press the two halves together evenly until you feel or hear the catch engage. It should sit flush with no gap.

For a much deeper walkthrough of keepsake ideas beyond photos — locks of hair, tiny notes, pressed flowers, and how to preserve them — see our dedicated what to put in a locket guide. And if you're drawn to lockets as sentimental keepsakes, our best cross necklaces for women guide covers another meaningful pendant style.

Giving a locket as a gift (when you don't have the photos yet)

A common worry with locket gifts: what if you don't have the right photo, or you want the recipient to choose? You have two easy options. First, you can gift the locket empty and include a small printed note or a placeholder photo, then help them add their own image later — the locket is the gift, the photo is theirs to choose. Second, if you want it filled at the reveal, use any meaningful photo you already have; the recipient can always swap it later, since lockets are designed to be re-opened.

A locket also pairs beautifully with a second sentimental piece. Gifting a locket alongside a simple heart pendant gives the recipient both a keepsake and an everyday layering piece — the heart pendant becomes the necklace they reach for daily, while the locket comes out for the moments that matter.

Caring for a locket so the hinge lasts

A locket's hinge is its one weak point, so care is a little different from a solid pendant. Take the locket off before showering, swimming, or applying lotion and perfume — moisture and product buildup inside the hinge are what cause it to stiffen or squeak over time. Open and close it gently rather than forcing it. Store it closed, in a soft pouch, away from other jewelry that could scratch the finish or catch on the hinge. For gold plated lockets, wipe with a dry soft cloth after wear to slow how quickly the plating wears at the edges.

How to choose: a quick decision path

1. Start with the occasion. Everyday keepsake or gift for someone with sensitive skin? Prioritize solid gold or 18K gold plated over sterling silver. Budget-friendly or silver-toned preference? Sterling silver or surgical stainless steel.
2. Pick a shape by meaning. Heart for romance and remembrance, oval for a classic heirloom feel, round for modern minimalist styling and easy engraving.
3. Size to how you'll wear it. Small (under three-quarters inch) for delicate everyday and layering; one inch and up for statement or multi-photo lockets.
4. Match the chain length. 18 inches is the safe, versatile default; go 20 inches for a larger locket or to wear it over a top.
5. Check the hinge before you commit. It should click shut flush with no gap and open smoothly. A wobbly or gapping hinge is the number-one reason a locket disappoints.

Written by the AJLuxe Team. Last updated: July 2026. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, checking the base metal under any plating — not just the label on the box — is the most reliable way to avoid skin irritation, a principle that matters especially for a locket, where the hinge and rim rub against skin and clothing all day and are the first spots to wear through.

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