Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Rooted in centuries of history of adornment dating back to the ancient world, modern jewelry reimagines traditional techniques, forms and materials for expressive new pieces. As opposed to contemporary jewelry, which responds to the moment in which it was created, modern jewelry often describes designs from the 20th to 21st centuries that reflect movements and trends in visual culture.
Modern jewelry emerged from the 19th-century shift away from jewelry indicating rank or social status. The Industrial Revolution allowed machine-made jewelry using electric gold plating, metal alloys and imitation stones, making beautiful jewelry widely accessible. Although mass production deemphasized the materials of the jewelry, the vision of the designer remained important, something that would be furthered in the 1960s with what’s known as the “critique of preciousness.”
A design fair called the “Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” brought global attention to the Art Deco style in 1925 and gathered a mix of jewelry artists alongside master jewelers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Mauboussin and Boucheron. Art Deco designs from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels unconventionally mixed gemstones like placing rock crystals next to diamonds while borrowing motifs from eclectic sources including Asian lacquer and Persian carpets. Among Cartier’s foremost design preoccupations at the time were high-contrast color combinations and crisp, geometric forms and patterns. In the early 20th century, modernist jewelers like Margaret De Patta and artists such as Alexander Calder — who is better known for his kinetic sculptures than his provocative jewelry — explored sculptural metalwork in which geometric shapes and lines were preferred over elaborate ornamentation.
Many of the innovations in modern jewelry were propelled by women designers such as Wendy Ramshaw, who used paper to craft her accessories in the 1960s. During the 1970s, Elsa Peretti created day-to-night pieces for Tiffany & Co. while designers like Lea Stein experimented with layering plastic, a material that had been employed in jewelry since the mid-19th century and had expanded into Bakelite, acrylics and other unique materials.
Find a collection of modern watches, bracelets, engagement rings, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
20th Century Unknown Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Gold, 14k Gold
Early 20th Century American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
18k Gold
Early 2000s German Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Fluorite
1990s American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s European Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Yellow Gold, Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century German Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
20th Century Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s German Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
18k Gold, Silver
2010s British Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
20th Century Mexican Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Yellow Sapphire, Ruby, Rubelite, Garnet, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Silver Plate
2010s British Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, Spinel, Green Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Pink...
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Crystal, Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Quartz, Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Zircon, Gold
Early 2000s English Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
18k Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Gold, Gold Plate
Mid-20th Century American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
20th Century Russian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Rose Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
1880s American Antique Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
22k Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Ruby, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
2010s Italian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Gold, Silver
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Early 2000s Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
2010s Hong Kong Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
20th Century Unknown Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, Spinel, Green Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Pink...
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
18k Gold, Gold Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
24k Gold
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sterling Silver
1970s American Vintage Modern Objets d'Art and Vertu
Bronze