Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
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.
1990s American Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Citrine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
1990s American Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Diamond, Moonstone, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Moonstone, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-19th Century Italian Etruscan Revival Antique Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Pearl, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold
1880s Dutch Early Victorian Antique Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
9k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s French Retro Vintage Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century British Victorian Antique Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Diamond, Garnet, Yellow Gold, Silver, Enamel
1990s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Unknown Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Gold
1990s American Renaissance Revival Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Amethyst, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Aquamarine, Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Quartz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Yellow Gold
1990s American Elizabeth Locke Jewelry
Citrine, Yellow Gold