Elizabeth Locke Ear Clips
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Citrine, Gold
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold
People Also Browsed
2010s Link Necklaces
Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Dome Rings
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Carnelian, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s American Brooches
Gilt Metal
Antique Late 18th Century European Egyptian Revival Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Brooches
Vintage 1920s Portuguese Art Nouveau Wedding Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Brooches
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Chain Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Chandelier Earrings
Gilt Metal
2010s More Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
1990s English Clip-on Earrings
Moonstone, 18k Gold
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Onyx, Gold
Early 2000s Drop Earrings
Moonstone, Gold
Early 2000s Drop Earrings
Spinel, Gold
Early 2000s Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Gold
Early 2000s Drop Earrings
Citrine, Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold
Vintage 1980s American Drop Earrings
Moonstone, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s British Lever-Back Earrings
Peridot, Yellow Gold
2010s Clip-on Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Tourmaline, Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Modern Clip-on Earrings
Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Citrine, Gold
Early 2000s Hoop Earrings
Moonstone, Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Clip-on Earrings
Peridot, 18k Gold
Elizabeth Locke for sale on 1stDibs
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.
Finding the Right earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.