Elizabeth Locke began with an interest in art at age 11, when her father took her to Italy.  The trip inspired her to learn to speak and dive into Italian culture and she received a graduate degree in Italian literature from the University of Florence, then spent years running her first business in Italy.  She moved back to the United States and worked as a contributing editor for Town and Country magazine.  After working on a story about Bangkok she pursued a degree in gemology.  In 1988 Elizabeth Locke Jewels was founded and sales began. Elizabeth Locke has two stores, one in Manhattan and another in Boyce, Virginia.