Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Venetian-glass intaglios, ancient Greek and Roman coins, antique porcelain buttons and other treasures that Elizabeth Locke collects from around the world all inspire and are incorporated into her earrings, necklaces and other handmade designs.
The Virginia-based jeweler began her journey as a collector after she’d already launched her namesake jewelry line, and her assemblage of micromosaics, which are essentially miniature plaques composed of enameled-glass tesserae, were the subject of the 2020–21 exhibition “A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke” at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
“They’re very hard to find, and you never know where you’ll see them,” Locke explains of micromosaics, the magnificent, miniature works for which she’s had to navigate lesser-known antique shops and auctions and build relationships with private dealers in Europe.
All of Locke’s imaginative jewelry pieces see an integration of rare and eclectic materials, the kind that might’ve been amassed during a 19th-century Grand Tour of Europe, when these coming-of-age journeys had long been popular (mostly for wealthy European men). Working in a neoclassical style, Locke references history with a modern approach for her moonstone earrings, gold-link bracelets, Venetian-glass pendants and other distinctive accessories. As she told W magazine, “Jewelry is designed for the era in which it is worn.”
In 1988, as an editor for Town & Country, Locke traveled to Bangkok to write about making jewelry. Unexpectedly, she found her niche. Upon her return home, Locke enrolled in the Gemological Institute of America and began sketching ideas. By 1990, her tourmaline ring — crafted with the goldsmiths she had met in Bangkok and who she would continue to collaborate with over the following decades — landed the cover of W.
Locke’s handmade, 19-karat-gold designs give one-of-a-kind antiquities new meaning in the 21st century. Not one to follow trends, Locke prefers designs that express a unique vision. “I know what I can do and I know what I feel comfortable doing, and I stick to it,” she has said.
Find a collection of Elizabeth Locke’s jewelry on 1stDibs.
Early 2000s American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Carnelian, Jasper, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold
Late 20th Century North American Neoclassical Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Citrine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century Antique Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Early 2000s American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Amethyst, Carnelian, Chalcedony, Quartz, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Citrine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Revival Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Yellow Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Hong Kong Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Crystal, 18k Gold
2010s Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Moonstone, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s German Art Nouveau Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1980s Modern Vintage Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Carnelian, Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Aquamarine, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Citrine, Ruby, 18k Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
1980s American Modern Vintage Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Carnelian, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Citrine, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Emerald, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Emerald, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Amethyst, 18k Gold
1990s American Renaissance Revival Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Modern Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Contemporary Vintage Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Contemporary Vintage Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Peridot, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Tanzanite, Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold