Back to School Lockets: A Little Piece of Home for Every Goodbye
Every August, the goodbyes start stacking up. A kindergartner clutching a backpack twice their size at the bus stop. A college freshman hugging their dog one more time before the car is packed. A parent standing in an empty dorm room, driving home a little too quietly.
Back to school isn't just one goodbye — it's dozens of small ones happening all at once, at every age. And at The Locket Sisters, we believe every single one of them deserves something to hold onto.
Whatever kind of goodbye you're navigating this year, here's a locket for it.
For the Littlest Goodbyes: Kids Missing Mom, Dad, or a Pet at Home
For a five-year-old, a full school day can feel enormous. Missing mom, dad, or the family dog isn't dramatic — it's just real, and it deserves a real solution. A locket tucked under a shirt or clipped to a backpack gives a child something to touch when the day feels big.
The Penny Locket is one of our most-loved options for younger kids — small, sweet, and sturdy enough for daily wear, with room for a photo of the person (or people) they can't stop thinking about.
For animal lovers, we have two favorites. The Meow Meow Locket has been a longtime staple for kids who count a cat as their best friend. And this year, we're especially excited about The Puppy Locket — a round sterling silver pendant with a hand-painted enamel dog face on the front. It holds one or two photos inside, and it works beautifully with any pet photo cropped to a circle, not just dogs. If there's a four-legged member of the family being left behind each morning, this one's for them.
For College-Bound Kids: Sophistication for the Next Chapter
College move-in day is its own kind of whiplash — equal parts excitement and heartbreak, often within the same hour. For young adults heading off to start their next chapter, a locket can be something a little more grown-up: a keepsake they'll actually want to wear every day, not just something from home.
The Dorothy Locket has become one of our most popular gifts for exactly this moment. Its compact, square design opens like a tiny book, and its understated elegance makes it easy to layer or wear solo. The Edith Locket is another favorite — classic and graceful, the kind of piece that feels just as at home at graduation as it does on a random Tuesday in a dorm room.
For the young men in your life, The Walter and The Lapel Pin Locket offer a way to carry a photo close without it looking or feeling like typical jewelry — subtle, masculine, and easy to wear daily.
For the Parents Left Behind
We talk a lot about the kids leaving, but let's be honest: the parents are doing their own kind of letting go, and it doesn't get any easier with practice. Whether it's a first day of kindergarten or a last drive home from a college campus, that empty-house feeling is real.
The Little Oval Locket and The Stacy Locket are quiet, elegant ways for parents to keep a child close all day, no matter how many miles are between you.
The One That Works for Everyone: The Little Love
If you're shopping for more than one person on this list — or you just want something dainty and versatile — The Little Love is our answer. It's delicate enough for a kindergartner, understated enough for a college student, and sentimental enough for a parent who needs it most. One design, every goodbye.
A Small Locket, A Big Reminder
No matter which goodbye you're facing this year — a bus stop, a dorm room, an empty nest — a locket does something simple but powerful: it turns a photo into something you can hold, every single day, without even thinking about it.
Browse our full collection and find the piece that fits your goodbye this year.