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.
2010s Spanish Modern Jewelry
Blue Topaz, Topaz, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Jewelry
Emerald
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Brown Diamond, Moonstone, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Kunzite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 10k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tsavorite, Topaz, Peridot, Jade, Diamond, Citrine, Amethyst, Yellow Gold...
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
1990s American Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
Coral, Turquoise, Chrysophrase, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Jewelry
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Pearl, Ruby, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Jewelry
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Tanzanian Modern Jewelry
Garnet
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tanzanite, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Platinum, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Peridot, Sterling Silver
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Turquoise, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Diamond, Black Opal, White Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 14k Gold
1990s American Modern Jewelry
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine
2010s Belgian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Pearl
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Peridot, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold