medaillon

A medaillon is a small pendant, usually circular or oval, worn on a chain or bracelet. It is often designed to enclose a keepsake such as a miniature portrait, a lock of hair, a photograph, or an inscription. Many medaillons are fitted with a protective cover of glass or crystal and may be decorated with enamel, engraving, or gemstones.

The term derives from the French médaillon, a diminutive form related to médaile or médaille, meaning a medal or medal-like ornament. The concept appears across European jewelry, particularly in the 18th through 19th centuries, where medaillons functioned as sentimental keepsakes and personal reliquaries. Mourning jewelry frequently used medaillons to hold hair or portraits of deceased loved ones.

Materials and construction vary. Common metals include gold and silver, with possible inlays of enamel, mother-of-pearl, or gemstones. The interior may hold a photograph, a hair-lock, or a miniature painting, often protected by a glass cover. In contemporary practice, medaillons continue as pendants or as modern lockets that open to reveal space for images or small mementos.

In addition to jewelry, the term can describe round reliefs or emblems used in architecture or on coins, but in ordinary usage a medaillon most often refers to a pendant worn as a keepsake or sentimental item. Related forms include the locket and the caméo pendant.