What do you call a necklace that opens?

A necklace that opens is usually called a locket. A cylinder that opens is often called a capsule, and an amulet that opens takes the name of its tradition, such as taweez, hirz or kavach. Kavacha Designs | Sacred Armor™ makes openable amulet necklaces, and this guide sorts the names by what each one describes.

Locket, the everyday word

Locket is the word most people type when they look for a pendant that opens. Every Kavacha necklace is a pendant that opens to a private chamber, so locket describes how it works. The chamber can hold a written prayer, a lock of hair, a small amount of ashes or another small keepsake. What you can keep inside an openable necklace goes through each one. If the locket is for ashes, Cremation necklace, urn necklace or locket explains how the three names differ.

Capsule, the shape

Capsule names a form, a compact cylinder with an end cap. The Capsule Small is a compact, cylindrical amulet with clean, straight lines, about 21.6 mm × 7.5 mm, in sterling silver. A twist-lock closes it. The precisely fitted male and female parts align and twist together, and a silicone seal makes the fit snug.

Amulet, the worn object

An amulet is worn on the body. A Kavacha is an amulet that opens to hold writing, a prayer or a trace of someone loved. Amulet cases made to be worn survive from many centuries and many places. Amulet or talisman sets the two words side by side. A Kavacha comes empty. Kavacha does not promise protection or any spiritual outcome.

Taweez, hirz and kavach, three traditions

Each of these words names an amulet from a tradition, and each has a Kavacha design that takes its form from it.

• A taweez is a small amulet that holds writing, usually verses of the Qur'an, names of God or prayers, folded or rolled and carried in a little case or pouch. The Taweez is a slim capsule, about 35 × 10 mm, that opens by hand to hold a written prayer. The history is in What is a taweez?
• In Arabic, hirz means a fortified place, a refuge. The traditional hirz is a silver amulet vessel worn as jewelry by Bedouin women across the Middle East, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to carry prayers close to the body. The Hirz carries that capsule form forward, in sterling silver set with white cubic zirconia.
• Kavacha means armor in Sanskrit. In Hindi the final vowel falls away, so you also see it as kavach. In Hindu devotional traditions a kavacha can be a prayer or a small amulet that holds a mantra. Narashimha, also spelled Narasimha, is the first piece Jayashri Triolo made. What is a kavach? tells the rest.

Which name to use

Locket and amulet describe every Kavacha necklace. Capsule describes the cylinder-shaped designs, such as Capsule Small, the Taweez and the Hirz. Taweez, hirz and kavach name the traditions behind particular designs.

To choose a piece, start with what you want to keep. A rolled prayer suits a long, slim chamber such as the Taweez. A lock of hair or a little earth is easier to place through a wider opening, such as Narashimha or Kerala Large.

Every design is cast in sterling silver, and nearly every design is also made to order in 14K or 18K yellow gold, which takes 4 to 6 weeks.

More guides: 14K, 18K or sterling silver and Keeping a loved one's ashes close. Read more about what a Kavacha is, or browse all amulets.