Antique Victorian 14k Gold Locket | Coin Edge | Engraved Monogram EJR | Petra Star

Some lockets are decorative. This one was lived in.

This substantial antique Victorian 14k yellow gold locket carries the weight of a century and a half in its 8 grams — and the initials of the woman who wore it first. The hand-engraved monogram EJR, centered on the front face with the elegant three-letter Victorian convention (first–last–middle), was placed there with intention, likely as a gift of deep personal significance: a betrothal, a birthday, a milestone marked in gold.

The coin-edge surround — a milled, reeded border mimicking the raised rim of a struck coin — is a hallmark of high-quality Victorian goldsmithing. Far from decorative shorthand, the technique demanded precision tooling and was reserved for pieces meant to last. This one did. At nearly 30mm across and just over 25mm tall, it wears as a commanding oval presence at the throat or layered over a delicate chain — never lost, always noticed.

Inside, the locket opens to two clean oval chambers, sized for portrait miniatures or photographs in the carte-de-visite tradition of the period. The Roman numeral XVII stamped inside the lid as well as 14k, this piece is as honest in its materials as it is rich in its history. EJR may be unknown to us now — but whoever she was, she carried something beautiful.

DIMENSIONS: 29.6 x 25.6 x 5.9 mm
WEIGHT: 8 Grams
PERIOD: Circa 1870's 
METAL: 14k Yellow Gold
MARKED:  14k inside lid XVII