2024 Week 8 : Heirlooms

As a child I remember coming across a strange silver locket - no chain - in my mum's jewellery box. I vaguely remember asking her about it and all I was told was it belonged to my grandmother. After my mum died, I came across it again. I had been intrigued by the engraving on it which seemed be C M. My dad's mum was Christine Walker and her married name was McAra, so this seemed to have been the grandmother referred to.

It is even prettier on the inside. The filigree 'door' can be opened. I found this intriguing. It's not the sort of locket that you can put a photograph in, so what was its purpose?

The mystery may have been solved when, about a decade ago now, a friend asked me to accompany her to an antiques valuation and asked if I had anything I wanted to bring along. I decided to take the locket.

I was told the locket may or may not have held pleasant scented herbs or something similar, or held a lock of hair or something equally precious. So, I'm not totally sure of its use or when it was given to my grandma or by whom. The dating I was given was late 19th-eary 20th century so the dates fit. I am just happy to have something which belonged to her, as she died when I was only three and I have no memory of her.

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