She wore them both close to her heart. One face on one side, another on the reverse, turning the locket between her fingers whenever she wanted to see the other. They were the people she could not bear to leave behind, captured in the solemn little portraits of the day and protected beneath glass. Around them, the goldsmith created a frame of graceful, curling lines, almost like vines growing around the photographs. Their names have disappeared with time, but remarkably, their faces remain, still traveling together more than a century later.

Dating to around 1900, this beautiful English drop frame locket is crafted in warm 9 karat gold, with a round photograph compartment suspended within an openwork frame of flowing, almost floral curves that hint at the emerging Art Nouveau style. It is double sided, with an original black and white portrait preserved beneath glass on each side, allowing either face to be worn forward. The locket is hallmarked “9CT” with the maker’s mark “G&W.” It measures 44 millimeters from top to bottom including the bail, 26.3 millimeters across and 5.2 millimeters deep, and weighs 4 grams. The chain shown in the photographs is not included.

We may never know their names, but someone loved them enough to keep their faces close.

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Item id: LTA26380VA