Personalised Photo Necklaces

Open Locket or Hidden Projection?

The first decision is how visible you want the photo to be, and each answer costs you something. A locket shows the picture every time the pendant opens — tactile, traditional, easy to share across a table; what you give up is slimness, since a hinged case must be deep enough to hold a print. The photo locket necklaces range gathers these.

A projection pendant does the opposite: from outside it reads as plain minimalist jewellery, and the image appears only when you hold the lens toward a window, a lamp or a phone torch. What you give up is everyday visibility: the photo is never simply on show, the lens is sealed while the piece is made so the picture cannot be swapped later, and a scratch blurs it. The necklaces with a picture inside collection holds the projection silhouettes.

Neither is the more serious one. Take the locket if the wearer will want to open it and look; take projection if they like that nobody else knows, and if the picture will never need to change.

What These Designs Are Made Of

Metals vary here, and that matters more than the finish name. A few designs state 925 sterling silver outright on their product page; others name stainless steel, copper, alloy or brass, several with a gold-tone or rose-tone plated finish. The exact metal for each design is listed on its product page — worth reading if a particular metal matters or the wearer has reactive skin.

Stainless steel is the most commonly named base, and the most forgiving: it resists tarnish. Copper and brass carry warmth but develop a patina. The 925 sterling silver designs are the softest and most classically precious, and are tarnish-resistant rather than tarnish-proof. One label to read carefully: silver-tone, silver colour and silver plated are surface finishes, not solid metal.

Choosing a Photo That Works at Pendant Scale

The photograph matters more than the price of the pendant: a pendant face is smaller than a postage stamp, and no lens can invent detail that was not in the file.

• Pick a sharp, well-lit image with the subject's face filling most of the frame.
• Avoid busy backgrounds — fine detail shrinks badly at pendant size.
• Send the original file, not a screenshot or a copy forwarded through chat apps; every hop throws away resolution.
• Contrast helps more than megapixels, especially on projection styles read against light.

You upload the photo on the product page itself, then drag, zoom and rotate it inside the pendant frame, so the crop you set on screen is the crop that goes to the workshop. After you order, a person checks the file at finished size and comes back to you if it is too soft or dark to hold up. Engraved names and dates are cut exactly as typed, with no lettering rendered on screen, so read your spelling back before adding to the cart.

From Family Trees to Paw Prints

This collection covers more ground than couple portraits. The family tree pendant frames a photo within branching metalwork for mums and grandmothers; more of that line sits in personalised family necklaces. Heart and infinity shapes suit anniversaries and weddings, minimalist round pendants stay understated, and engravable lockets add a written line to the picture.

The paw print projection pendant has become a quiet favourite as a pet memorial, keeping a much-missed dog or cat literally close — the one case where a sealed lens is an advantage, since the photo will not change and the piece looks like ordinary jewellery to everyone else. For the same idea on a wrist, see the photo projection bracelets; heavier plate versions sit in men's photo bracelets, and every format that carries an image is in photo jewellery.

Wearing and Protecting the Pendant

Treat a photo necklace like the keepsake it is: take it off before showering and swimming so water never reaches the photo, the hinge or the plating, apply perfume before putting it on, and store it flat so the chain cannot drag across the pendant face.

Then the format-specific part. A projection lens cannot be repaired, so keep it away from keys and coins in a bag; a locket hinge lasts longer if you open it at the seam with a fingernail rather than prising at the edge. Looked after this way, the piece your photo lives in will outlast the phone it was taken on.

Delivery, Returns and Your Rights in New Zealand

Standard delivery is NZ$14.90 and free on orders over NZ$179. Delivery runs 7–12 business days once your parcel is dispatched, tracked the whole way, with the tracking number emailed at dispatch. Several items ordered together arrive as one parcel. Full terms are on the delivery and shipping page.

IfShe is not currently registered for New Zealand GST, so no GST is added at checkout. Import duties and taxes are covered by us, so there is nothing to pay on delivery.

You have 60 days from the day an order arrives to raise a return or exchange. If the fault is ours — wrong item, transit damage, or a piece that does not match what you ordered — we remake it or refund you in full and pay the return postage. Because a pendant made with your own photo cannot be resold, personalised pieces are final sale — check the image and spelling before you order. Nothing here limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993; the return and exchange page holds the full policy.

Common Questions

What is the difference between a photo locket and a projection necklace?

A locket opens, so the printed photo is visible whenever you choose. A projection pendant holds a tiny image inside a sealed lens, revealed when light shines through it.

What are these necklaces made of?

A few designs state 925 sterling silver on their product page; others name stainless steel, copper, alloy or brass. The metal is named on each design's product page.

Can I get a photo necklace for a pet?

Yes. The paw print projection pendant is designed as a pet memorial, and any design here accepts a pet photo as readily as a portrait.

How long will my photo necklace take to arrive?

Delivery is 7–12 business days once the parcel is dispatched, tracked, with the tracking number emailed to you. Orders over NZ$179 ship free; standard delivery is otherwise NZ$14.90.