Pink Sterling Teething Ring
Mid-20th Century American Modern Vanity Items
Sterling Silver
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Boxes and Cases
18k Gold
Antique Early 19th Century French Art Deco Vanity Items
Gold Plate, Silver
1950s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Antique Early 1900s Pendant Necklaces
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanity Items
Diamond, Jade, Natural Pearl, Platinum, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Vanity Items
14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Chinese Dangle Earrings
Jade, Tourmaline, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Vintage 1950s American Vanity Items
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s American Modernist Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Swiss Artist Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s French Wallets
Late 20th Century French Contemporary Brooches
Emerald, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s English Desk Accessories
Diamond, Rock Crystal, Enamel, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
A Close Look at modern Jewelry
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.