Oval lockets
An oval gives a portrait more room than a heart. The face can include a little of the hair and the shoulders, which is often what makes a tiny photograph recognizable.
The oval lockets here have a floral lid. Closed, they look like a flower. Open, they are a frame. They are stainless steel with a gold or silver finish.
The lockets
Floral oval locket
Gold
Floral oval locket
Silver
When an oval is the better shape
Choose an oval when the photograph is the gift. A single portrait, a parent, a child, or a person who has died and should still be recognizable in a small print.
Choose a heart when the locket has to be worn every day and the words matter as much as the picture. An oval is slightly larger in the frame, which some people want and some people feel at the neckline.
Printing the photograph
Measure the opening inside the rim, not the outside of the locket. Crop the face into that shape, print on matte paper, and trim until the photo sits flat. A glossy print can catch the light and make the face harder to see once the locket is closed.