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.
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Malachite, Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 14k Gold
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Agate, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Jewelry
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Quartz, 24k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Blue Zircon, Zircon, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Jade, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Quartz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s Russian Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Rubelite, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Jewelry
Peridot
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Hessonite, Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Base Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Brown Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Coral, Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
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