From Seed beads to Steampunk: Locket Couture

The locket: a small, sweet tiny charm hung from a chain, with pictures of family and loved ones, worn close to the heart. But did you know, the locket has grown up! Feast your eyes on these innovative babies!

Traditional with a twist!

Wrap your eyes around this fantastic heart shaped locket. Looks like any other locket you’d see...until you open it to find a tiny collection of gears and wheels suspended in clear resin! Brilliant, I must say! Takes the whole Victorian steam punk look and runs with it. Instead of looking at lockets as though they were frames for pictures, now we can acknowledge them as vessels, too. Made by Artifacts n Relics, its called Near and Gear to my Heart. Clever, hm?

Design at its freshest, in a vintage sort of way!

Cindy from Cinsational Baubles made this great necklace entitled a Coral Blossom Locket Necklace (say that 5 times fast!). A handful of nature inspired components such as a butterfly, dragonfly and leaf, not to mention the coral flower cab nestled into a piece of filigree. They symmetry balance of shape and color is really beautiful here. I like how there’s sort of an a-HA! moment with the locket since its not so noticeable at first glance.

The locket collage

A simple and beautiful collage inside this glass locket is really intriguing. I’m so drawn to the whole diorama aspect of this kind of paper piecing that tells a story or creates a mood. There’s some hand painted paper as well as the image of a woman peacefully feeding her chickens. It’s the kind of scene that makes you stop and take a deep breath! And you all know how I love the use of words. Peaceful is my second favorite word used in jewelry. Calm is my first.

Innovation from a master beader

Soak your eyes in this brilliant piece of contemporary art by beading master Diane Fitzgerald. You’ll find the pattern for this locket in Diane’s book called Shaped Beadwork. This ensemble is made entirely from seed beads in a pentagon shape, and a small bead and loop keep the picture tucked away on the inside. When closed it looks like a perfectly executed pendant, but I love that it holds a secret!

Yet another!

Master beader and local bead genius Melanie Doerman created this gorgeous locket in a rectangular form from seed beads as well. What I love about her lockets is that they have  small pane of glass that the picture goes behind to protect it, and the pictures themselves are fabulous. One contains the Wickid Witch of the West, and another the smiling face of Lucille Ball. They’re whimsical and colorful and fun. And the design is stunning.

Moving on to wire

When I first saw this copper wire locket by Mary Tupper I just about fell off my chair! Hand built entirely from twisting and coiling wire, this brilliant piece of art to wear is perfectly functional to put pictures in. I love the look and the attention to detail is admirable. This inspires me to start coiling wire all around!

The unexpected!

Check out these vintage floral heart lockets made into earrings! It is just me, or does it seem like lockets are assumed to be worn around the neck? So to find them as earrings was a happy surprise! I’ve seen them on pins, chains and with bows attached at the neck of a garment, but as earrings… that’s a first!

Resources worth checking out!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/34683678/near-and-gear-to-my-heart-locket-18in

http://www.etsy.com/listing/37911428/vintage-floral-locket-heart-earrings

Www.themagpie.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cinsationalbaubles?ga_search_query=cinsational+baubles&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

Www.dianefitzgerald.com

http://theangstyartist.blogspot.com/2010/02/fine-point-of-spiral-geometry.html

A poem by Lucy L Locket

lucy locket lost her pocket,
in that pocket was a locket,
that u must surely know,
and if u ever find that pocket,
she will surely know!