Modern Beaded Bracelets
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.
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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Onyx, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Amethyst, Pearl, Sterling Silver, Vermeil, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Beaded Bracelets
Garnet, Pearl, Vermeil, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Amethyst, Citrine, Pearl, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Pearl, Garnet, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver, Vermeil, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Pearl, Tsavorite, Sterling Silver, Vermeil, Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Pearl, Tsavorite, Sterling Silver, Vermeil, Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Pearl, Black Star, Spinel, Sterling Silver, Vermeil
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Citrine, Pearl, Sterling Silver, Rhodium
20th Century Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Coral, Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Emerald, Opal, Gold-filled
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Emerald, Opal, Gold-filled
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Onyx, Silver, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Larimar, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Emerald, Opal, Gold-filled
1940s American Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
20th Century American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Coral, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1990s Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Vermeil
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Jade, Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Tanzanite, Gold-filled
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Base Metal, Gilt Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Beaded Bracelets
Silver, Sterling Silver, Rhodium
1980s Indonesian Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Pearl, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Beaded Bracelets
Chalcedony, Diamond, Hematite, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Agate, Gold
1990s Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
20th Century American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Amethyst, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Agate, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Quartz, Crystal, Black Diamond
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Quartz, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Bracelets
Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Beaded Bracelets
Turquoise, Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Beaded Bracelets
Coral, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Carnelian, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Bracelets
Early 2000s Italian Modern Beaded Bracelets
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s British Vintage Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Sapphire, 9k Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Bracelets
Coral, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Beaded Bracelets
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Beaded Bracelets
Mid-20th Century Modern Beaded Bracelets
White Diamond, Black Diamond, Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Beaded Bracelets
White Diamond, Rose Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gol...