I like designer Fortune & Frame’s story about the evolution of this piece almost as much as the piece itself:

You can’t force a thing to work when it’s not supposed to. I spent a year trying to figure out how to make the locket open with a key. While I didn’t go down without a fight, I’ve got a pile of rejected designs that say it just wasn’t in the stars.

A thing must reveal itself on its own terms. Once I stopped telling it what I wanted it to be, it told me what it actually was.

Being vulnerable is hard when you’ve got a guard up. I built up the jagged fortress, leaving the fortune only barely discernible. I hammered the exterior to give it a more complex texture. And I introduced the spiked edges to make it appear far more threatening than it actually is. Keep out. (But, please, come in.)

Also intriguing is the story behind the line’s founding: Fortune & Frame is a New York City-based line of jewelry, frames, and other things that hold fortunes. Founded by designer Gretel Going, the original concept came about two years ago when she came across an insightful fortune, shoved it behind a refrigerator magnet, and forgot about it. When the fortune kept falling on the floor, an idea was born. The resulting line relies on jewelry and accessories to bridge the gap between the value people place on fortunes and the lack of dedicated places to keep them.

This piece, made of sterling silver and watch crystal, and with a 30 inch chain, sells for a most reasonable USD $265.