Locket Necklaces with Pictures Inside: Types, Meaning & How to Choose
A locket necklace with a picture inside is a pendant that holds a photo close to your heart — either a classic locket that opens on a hinge, or a modern picture-inside pendant that seals the image under a lens. This guide explains both types, how the photo goes in, what they mean, and how to choose the right one.
In short
What is a locket necklace with a picture inside?
It's a pendant that carries a photo inside it, worn on a chain over the heart. There are two kinds: a classic open locket that opens on a hinge to show one or two printed photos, and a modern picture-inside (projection) pendant that seals a micro-printed photo under a lens, revealed with a phone light. Both keep someone you love close — privately, and only visible when you choose.
What Is a Locket Necklace with a Picture Inside?
A locket necklace with a picture inside does one quiet thing beautifully: from the outside it looks like everyday jewellery, but it holds a photo only the wearer knows is there. That hidden layer is what sets it apart from a plain pendant — it carries a specific person, pet, or memory rather than just a look.
The idea is centuries old. Long before photography, people wore lockets to hold a painted miniature or a lock of hair. The photograph made the keepsake personal in a new way, and today “a necklace with a picture inside” usually means one of two things — a traditional opening locket, or a modern sealed picture-inside pendant. Both belong to the same family, and most people considering one want to understand the difference before they choose.
What unites them is intention. Nobody buys a locket by accident; it’s chosen for who goes inside it. That’s why it lands as a gift when an ordinary necklace wouldn’t, and why it’s such a popular keepsake for partners, parents, and remembrance.
The History Behind Lockets with Pictures Inside
Lockets are among the oldest keepsake jewellery. Centuries before photography, people wore them to hold a painted miniature portrait, a curl of a loved one’s hair, or a scrap of scented cloth — a way to keep someone close across distance or loss. By the Victorian era the locket had become deeply personal, tied both to mourning and to love, often exchanged between sweethearts or worn to remember someone who had passed.
Photography transformed the locket. The painted miniature gave way to a real photograph of a real face, and the “necklace with a picture inside” became something almost anyone could own. The modern picture-inside projection pendant is simply the next step in that long story — the same instinct to carry a loved one’s image, now sealed under a lens instead of held behind a hinge. The technology has changed; the meaning hasn’t.
The Two Types: Open Lockets and Picture-Inside Pendants
There are two main ways a necklace holds a picture inside, and the difference shapes how it feels to wear:
- Classic open lockets — a hinged pendant that opens to reveal one or two small printed photos. You see the picture the moment you open it, and you can change it later. This is the traditional heirloom format, often in sterling silver and engravable.
- Picture-inside (projection) pendants — a sealed pendant with a micro-printed photo set under a tiny lens. Hold it to a bright light, look through the lens, and the photo appears, magnified. Nothing opens, the photo can’t fall out, and it holds more detail than a tiny printed insert.
Both are “a necklace with a picture inside,” but they give a different experience. The open locket is about ritual — opening it to look. The picture-inside pendant is about secrecy and surprise — most people don’t realise it holds a photo until you show them the light trick. Neither is better; they simply suit different people.
There’s a practical difference too. An open locket lets you change the photo and hold a physical print, but that print is exposed to a little air and handling each time you open it. A picture-inside pendant seals the photo permanently, so it can’t be swapped — but it also can’t fade, fall out, or get damaged in daily wear. If you value the ability to update the picture, lean open locket; if you value a sealed, lasting keepsake, lean picture-inside.
How to Put a Picture Inside a Locket
How the photo goes in depends on the type. For a classic open locket, you add the photo yourself: trim a printed picture to the shape and size of the inner frame — most lockets include a template or sizing guide — and gently press it under the rim or clear cover. Two-photo lockets simply repeat this on each side. It takes a few minutes and a steady hand, and you can swap the photo whenever you like.
For a picture-inside (projection) pendant, you don’t open anything. You send your chosen photo when you place the order, and it’s micro-printed and sealed under the lens during manufacture. The upside is that it’s permanent and protected; the trade-off is that you choose the photo once, at the time of order, so it’s worth picking your favourite before you buy.
In both cases the photo itself matters most. One clear, well-lit face reads far better than a busy group shot, especially once it’s shrunk to pendant size. Choose the image first, and the finished keepsake will look exactly as you hoped.
A quick test helps: shrink the photo on your phone until it’s about the size of a coin. If the main face is still clear, it will read well inside a locket or under a lens; if it blurs, pick a tighter, higher-contrast shot. For an open locket, it’s also worth keeping the original digital file, so you can reprint the photo later if it ever fades or you want to refresh it.
Open locket or picture-inside — which to choose
Choose a classic open locket. It opens on a hinge so you can fit and swap printed photos yourself, and it engraves cleanly as an heirloom.
Choose a picture-inside projection pendant. The photo is sealed under a lens, holds more detail, won't fade, and reveals with a phone light.
Choose a subtle pendant in either format. It reads as everyday jewellery, so the wearer decides when to share what's inside.
What People Keep Inside a Locket
A picture is the classic choice, but it isn’t the only thing a locket can hold. Traditionally, open lockets carried a lock of hair, a pressed flower, or a tiny folded note alongside or instead of a photo. Many people still tuck in a small keepsake — a baby’s hospital bracelet thread, a fingerprint charm, a scrap of a wedding outfit — to make the necklace one of a kind.
Picture-inside projection pendants hold the photo only, sealed under the lens, but they make up for it by holding far more photo detail than a tiny printed insert ever could. Whichever type you choose, keep anything you add flat and small so the locket closes cleanly and the keepsake stays protected.
Who Wears a Picture-Inside Locket
The meaning shifts with the wearer, which is part of why a locket makes such a personal gift:
- Partners wear one with a shared photo, often engraved with a date — a romantic, private keepsake for an anniversary or Valentine’s.
- Mums and grandmothers wear lockets that hold the people they love, sometimes several faces in one piece.
- In remembrance, a subtle locket keeps a lost loved one’s photo close without being an obvious sign of grief — comforting, and entirely the wearer’s to share or keep private.
- For a new baby or milestone, a locket marks a moment the family wants to carry.
In every case the gesture is the same: someone chose to keep you close. That’s the quiet promise a picture-inside necklace makes.
It’s also why a locket suits people who don’t usually wear statement jewellery. Because the meaning is hidden inside rather than on show, it reads as a simple, everyday pendant — the sentiment is private, carried against the heart, and revealed only when the wearer chooses. For a gift, that understatement is often exactly the appeal.
ifshe Personalised Photo Necklaces
From classic sterling-silver open lockets to modern picture-inside projection pendants in silver, gold, and rose gold — the full range, side by side, so you can match the format to your photo.
Shop photo necklaces →Choosing a Locket with a Picture Inside
Once you know who it’s for, a few choices make sure the necklace lives up to it. Decide the format first — an open locket for ritual and the option to change the photo, or a picture-inside pendant for a modern, sealed, lower-maintenance keepsake. Then choose the metal: sterling silver and gold read as classic and lasting, rose gold as soft and romantic.
Think about engraving too — a name, a date, or a short word on the back adds a personal layer that makes the keepsake specific. And consider how many photos you need: a couple or a parent of two might want a two-photo open locket, while a single hidden image suits a projection pendant.
Above all, choose the photo with care. A close, bright, high-contrast picture of one subject is what reads beautifully at pendant size — pick it before the metal, and the rest of the decision falls into place.
Test your photo at thumbnail size before you order
Shrink the photo on your phone until it's about the size of a coin. If the main face is still clear at that size, it will read beautifully inside a locket or under a projection lens. If it turns into a blur, pick a tighter, higher-contrast shot — a single close face beats a full-length group photo every time.
From Eleanor's notes editing ifshe.co.uk's photo jewellery guides.
How Durable Is the Photo Inside?
How well the picture lasts depends on the type. In a classic open locket, the printed photo is protected by the closed case but still exposed to a little air and handling each time you open it; over years it can fade or mark, which is why some people keep a spare copy to replace it. Keeping the locket closed and dry helps it last.
In a picture-inside (projection) pendant, the photo is sealed permanently under the lens, protected from air, water, and rubbing — so it doesn’t fade the way an exposed print can. This is one of the main reasons people choose the modern format for everyday wear: the image stays as sharp years later as the day it was made. For a gift meant to be worn daily and kept for years, that lasting clarity is often the deciding factor between the two formats.
Make sure the locket holds your photo well
- Use one clear, high-contrast photo. A single close face beats a busy group shot — small, crowded photos lose detail inside a pendant.
- Choose the format first. Decide open locket vs picture-inside; it changes whether you can swap the photo and how it's worn.
- Check how many photos you need. A two-photo open locket suits couples or two children; a projection pendant holds one image.
- Confirm engraving before checkout. Decide the name, date, or short line up front, and keep it short so it stays legible.
- Order early for occasions. Personalised pieces are made to order and ship slower than stock jewellery.
Caring for Your Locket Necklace
A locket is meant to be kept, so a little care protects both the necklace and the picture inside. Keep it away from water — take it off before showering, swimming, or washing up, since moisture can damage a printed photo in an open locket and dull metal or plating over time. Store it in a soft pouch or lined box rather than loose in a drawer, where it can scratch.
For a picture-inside projection pendant, the sealed photo is far more durable, but the same gentle habits keep the lens clear and the metal bright: wipe the lens now and then with a soft cloth so the picture stays sharp. Treated kindly, either type of locket easily outlasts the trends around it.
A simple routine keeps it that way: take it off before water and before bed, give the lens an occasional wipe, and store it in a soft pouch away from other jewellery. None of it takes more than a moment, and it’s the difference between a necklace you replace and a keepsake you can pass on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a locket necklace with a picture inside called?
It’s usually just called a photo locket or a picture-inside necklace. A classic one that opens is an “open locket”; a modern sealed one viewed with light is a “picture-inside” or “projection” necklace. Both describe a pendant that holds a photo inside.
How do you get a picture into a locket necklace?
For an open locket, trim the photo to the inner frame’s size and press it under the rim. For a picture-inside projection pendant, you send the photo when ordering and it’s sealed inside during manufacture — there’s nothing to open.
Can you put more than one picture in a locket?
Often, yes. Many classic open lockets hold two photos, one on each inner side — popular for couples or a parent who wants two children together. Picture-inside projection pendants usually hold one image, though it can be a group photo.
Can you change the picture in the necklace later?
In an open locket, yes — just lift out the old photo and fit a new one. In a sealed picture-inside pendant, no; the image is fixed when the necklace is made, which is why you choose your photo at the time of order.
Can you wear a picture-inside locket in the shower?
It’s best not to. Water and steam can damage a printed photo in an open locket and dull metal over time. A sealed projection pendant is more water-resistant, but taking any locket off before showering or swimming keeps it looking its best.
Do picture-inside necklaces fade over time?
A sealed projection photo doesn’t fade, because it’s protected under the lens. A printed photo in an open locket can fade slowly with air and handling over the years, so some people keep a spare copy to refresh it.
Are picture-inside lockets a good gift?
They’re one of the most personal gifts you can give, because the photo makes each one unique to the recipient. They suit anniversaries, Mother’s Day, new babies, and remembrance especially well — any occasion where the point is to keep someone close rather than to make a statement.
