Elizabeth Locke Hoop 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 Hoop Earrings
Carnelian, Chalcedony, Quartz, Amethyst, 18k Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Pearl, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Contemporary Vintage Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Peridot, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Sterling Silver
1970s Vintage Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
18k Gold
2010s Scottish Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, 22k Gold, 24k Gold, Gold Plate, Vermeil, Silver, Silver ...
1980s American Modern Vintage Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Carnelian, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Amethyst, Gold
20th Century Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Citrine, Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Pearl, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
18k Gold
2010s Unknown Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Turquoise, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Carnelian, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s American Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
18k Gold
Early 2000s Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Moonstone, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
Aquamarine, Tourmaline, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Elizabeth Locke Hoop Earrings
18k Gold