Symbolism & meaning
Heart jewelry: meaning and history
Witch's hearts, crowned hearts and double hearts, and what each one was given to say.
Written by our in-house jewelry team · Updated August 7, 2026 · 6 min read
In short
The heart is the oldest love token in European jewelry and it appears in several distinct forms. A plain heart stands for love and affection, a crowned heart for loyalty or love triumphant, a double or twin heart for two people joined, and a witch's heart, with its curved and twisted point, was worn as a charm to protect the wearer's affections. Heart lockets combine the motif with a compartment for hair or a photograph.
A heart is easy to dismiss as sentimental shorthand. In antique jewelry it is more specific than that: the shape of the heart, what sits on top of it and what is inside it all carry meaning.
This is the short version of a very long tradition, focused on the forms you will actually see for sale.
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The witch's heart
A witch's heart leans to one side, with its point curling away like a flame. The form appears from the seventeenth century onward and is strongly associated with Scotland. It was given as a love token and as a protective charm, the idea being that it guarded the wearer's affections.
Period examples are usually gem-set in silver over gold, often with a crown or a bow above. Because the type has been reproduced continuously, hallmarks and construction matter more here than in almost any other motif.
Crowned hearts and Luckenbooth brooches
A crown above a heart is a very old betrothal and loyalty symbol. In Scotland the Luckenbooth brooch, named after the locked booths near St Giles' in Edinburgh, is typically a crowned heart or two intertwined hearts, exchanged as a love token and later pinned to a child's shawl for protection.
The Irish claddagh, a heart held by two hands beneath a crown, belongs to the same family of ideas and is covered in our guide to hands in jewelry.
Victorian heart lockets and padlocks
The Victorians industrialized the heart. Gold-front and silver heart lockets, engraved with ivy, forget-me-nots or a monogram, were made in enormous numbers and are still the most wearable antique pendants you can buy.
The heart padlock, usually on a gate or curb bracelet, locks the bracelet and the sentiment at once. Original keys almost never survive, and a padlock that no longer locks can normally be repaired.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a witch's heart?
- A heart with a curved, twisted point, made from roughly the seventeenth century onward and associated with Scotland. It was given as a love token and worn as a charm to protect the wearer's affections.
- Do antique heart lockets still open?
- Most do. Hinges and glazed compartments can be tired and are usually repairable. We say in each description whether a locket opens and closes as it should.
Written by our estate jewelry team and reviewed by our in-house gemologist. We have been buying and selling European antique jewelry since 1973.
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