Modern Collectible Jewelry
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
1980s French Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectible Jewelry
Crystal
20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
1980s German Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
1990s German Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
1960s German Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal, Gold
1980s North American Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectible Jewelry
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold, Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Malachite, Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Crystal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
1990s Swiss Modern Collectible Jewelry
Plastic
20th Century American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Crystal
1960s European Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Chrome, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Collectible Jewelry
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Collectible Jewelry
Linen, Silk
20th Century Unknown Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Stainless Steel
1970s North American Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
1990s American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
Early 2000s Danish Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Crystal
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
20th Century Mexican Modern Collectible Jewelry
Brass, Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Crystal
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
1960s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectible Jewelry
Silk
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Collectible Jewelry
Silver
20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Leather, Plastic
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Rubber
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Multi-gemstone, Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectible Jewelry
Plastic
Late 20th Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Crystal, Metal