Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
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.
2010s Japanese Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, White Gold, 18k Gold
1950s German Vintage Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Gold, Gilt Metal, Mixed Metal
20th Century French Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Black Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Late 20th Century European Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Gilt Metal
2010s American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Mixed Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
18k Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Amber, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Gilt Metal, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Black Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Mixed Metal
20th Century French Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1990s Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Gold Plate, Mixed Metal
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s German Vintage Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century European Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Pearl, Yellow Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Natural Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Black Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Pearl, Gold...