For Sherrie T. Beckstead, legacy is something built deliberately through the decisions made, the people supported and the institutions strengthened along the way.
A Washington-area business leader, philanthropist and pillar in luxury retail, Beckstead has spent decades building a career rooted in relationships. Yet much of her focus has always extended beyond jewelry and Swiss watches. That commitment to giving back has long been part of who she is.
Education. Cancer research. Historic preservation. Mentorship. The arts.
Together, they represent a philosophy Beckstead has refined through both achievement and profound personal loss: turning pain into power, then using that power to create something meaningful that enriches lives.
When asked what she hopes people understand about her beyond the jewelry business, Beckstead begins with one word: balance.
She describes it as the ability to protect her space while remaining open enough to examine a situation from every angle. It means knowing when to stay the course and when to pivot, balancing kindness and diplomacy with toughness.
Her faith, she says, remains central to that perspective, as does loyalty.
“My friends and constituents would tell you, ‘Sherrie is the one you want leading the battle,’” Beckstead says.
Creating Something From Loss
That resolve became especially important after the death of her husband, Sidney “Sid” Beckstead, in December 2020.
Sid was a co-founder of Liljenquist & Beckstead Jewelers and Lenkersdorfer Jewelers, luxury jewelry businesses that began in Ocean City, Maryland, before growing throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
Within months of his death, Beckstead transformed grief into an opportunity to support young artists.
She established the Sidney M. Beckstead Art Scholarship through the Art League of Ocean City. By June 2021, its first scholarship had been awarded to a student preparing to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York to study jewelry and shoe design.
“I knew then this was a higher calling,” Beckstead says.
The partnership with the Art League was intentional. Ocean City was where Sid and his business partner and former fraternity brother, Tom Liljenquist, began their joint entrepreneurial journey. Creating the scholarship there connected a new generation of artists to the place where his own professional story began and where Sid and Sherrie met.
Five years later, the scholarship continues to carry that story forward.
Sherrie remains an integral business partner, developing groundbreaking initiatives and collaborative brand partnerships. Most recently, Liljenquist & Beckstead opened the region’s first Rolex and Patek Philippe boutiques at Tysons Galleria, following the opening of its first Tudor boutique in 2025.
For Beckstead, that is the essence of legacy.
It is not simply having one’s name attached to something, she says. It is preserving the work, values and truth that came before while giving future generations the opportunity to build upon them.
“Respecting the sacrifices and honoring them is an essential component in legacy,” Beckstead says. “Legacy is honor.”
Investing in the Next Generation
That philosophy has increasingly extended into education and international leadership.
Earlier this year, Beckstead made a gift to George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs supporting graduate student capstone research and experiential learning. The gift honors Elliott School alumnus Saad Al-Tami, chairman and CEO of the Gulf Education Investment Company and founder of The Diwan.
More than 300 Elliott School graduate students participate in capstone projects each year, working with organizations to analyze real-world global challenges and develop policy recommendations.
For Beckstead, supporting that work represents another way of investing in people whose impact may stretch far beyond today’s moment.
“This contribution, made in honor of Saad Al-Tami, recognizes his profound global accomplishments and future trajectory,” Beckstead said when the gift was announced.
Her work increasingly crosses borders through mentorship, leadership initiatives and international conversations. But whether she is working with emerging leaders or established institutions, the objective remains similar: Give people the resources, relationships and opportunities to carry meaningful work forward.
Jewelry With a Greater Purpose
Beckstead’s professional world and philanthropic work perhaps intersect most visibly through The Lockkeepers Collection.
Inspired by the historic Lockkeeper’s House on the National Mall, the collection features handcrafted lock-and-key jewelry designed around the symbolism of preserving history while “unlocking” future possibilities.
The Lockkeeper’s House, built in 1837, is the oldest existing structure on the National Mall. The Trust for the National Mall and National Park Service completed a major restoration and relocation of the building in 2018, transforming it into an educational space for visitors.
Beckstead’s collection grew from her involvement with the Trust and her interest in preservation, education and American history. As the collection moves into its next generation of global designs, a portion of sales will continue to benefit the Trust for the National Mall and its work preserving and enriching one of the country’s most recognizable public spaces.
It also reflects something Beckstead learned through years in luxury retail: The most meaningful pieces often become much more than purchases.
She views fine jewelry as an investment in stories and relationships, with pieces that may eventually become part of a family’s own legacy.
Her career with Liljenquist & Beckstead has included leadership in brand, marketing and digital strategy, along with work with global luxury houses including Rolex, Cartier, Chopard and Mikimoto.
But for Beckstead, luxury is not simply about exclusivity.
It is about education, craftsmanship and experience. The responsibility of a luxury purveyor, she says, is to help clients understand what they are investing in and why it matters.
The Lockkeepers Collection takes that idea one step further: A piece can preserve a personal story while contributing to the preservation of a shared one.
A Personal Mission
Few causes, however, have touched Beckstead as personally as cancer research and patient care.
Her involvement with Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center spans nearly a decade. She has served in leadership roles supporting its fundraising efforts and recently co-chaired the Lombardi Gala.
Sid’s death from cancer made the mission deeply personal.
At the gala, Beckstead spoke about the compassionate care and advocacy extended to patients and families and the importance of treating the whole person, a philosophy she says has kept her committed to Georgetown’s mission.
Loss changed the trajectory of her philanthropy, but it did not narrow it. Instead, it reinforced her belief that grief can become a catalyst for service.
That principle now connects much of what she does.
A scholarship gives an aspiring artist an opportunity.
A university gift helps graduate students conduct research with global implications.
A jewelry collection connects craftsmanship with the preservation of American history.
Support for cancer research and patient care helps advance a mission that has become deeply personal.
Individually, they are different causes. Collectively, they tell a much larger story about the kind of legacy Beckstead believes in.
For her, philanthropy is not simply giving something away.
It is choosing what deserves to continue.
And then doing the work to make sure it does through the generosity of time, talent and treasure.
CONNECT WITH SHERRIE
Sherrie T. Beckstead
Partner, Liljenquist & Beckstead Jewelers
Lenkersdorfer Jewelers
President, The Lockkeepers Collection
Learn More
TheLockkeepersCollection.com
Instagram: @sherrie.b
Email: Sherrie@rolexboutique-dc.com
“Legacy is honor.” - Sherrie T. Beckstead
“Respecting the sacrifices and honoring them is an essential component in legacy.” - Sherrie T. Beckstead