12 Carat Australian Opal Ring
Antique Early 1900s Fashion Rings
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Art Nouveau Solitaire Rings
White Diamond, Opal, Black Opal, 18k Gold
2010s German Artisan Cocktail Rings
Opal, Silver
2010s French Artisan Fashion Rings
Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Opal, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Baroque Bridal Rings
Diamond, Opal, 14k Gold
2010s American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Opal, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Opal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Turquoise, Rose Gold
2010s American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Platinum
2010s North American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Art Nouveau Cocktail Rings
Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Opal, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s French Art Nouveau Fashion Rings
Opal, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s French Contemporary Dome Rings
Opal, Crystal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Contemporary Band Rings
Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Opal, Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Pink ...
2010s German Artisan Cocktail Rings
Opal, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Opal, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Black Opal, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Opal, Diamond, Black Opal, Platinum
20th Century Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Fire Opal, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Fire Opal, Opal, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Black Opal, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Dome Rings
Diamond, Opal, White Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Black Opal, Platinum
2010s German Artisan Cocktail Rings
Opal, Silver
2010s American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Platinum
2010s American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Platinum
Vintage 1910s French Belle Époque Cluster Rings
Opal, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Opal, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Yellow Diamond, Brown Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Edwardian Engagement Rings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Band Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cluster Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
20th Century Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Yellow Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum
20th Century Japanese Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Engagement Rings
Alexandrite, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Alexandrite, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
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12 Carat Australian Opal Ring For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a 12 Carat Australian Opal Ring?
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.
Finding the Right rings for You
Antique and vintage rings have long held a special place in the hearts of fine jewelry lovers all over the world.
No matter their origin or specific characteristics, rings are timeless, versatile accessories. They’ve carried deep meaning since at least the Middle Ages, when diamond rings symbolized strength and other kinds of rings were worn to signify romantic feelings or to denote an affiliation with a religious order. Rings have also forever been emblematic of eternity.
Over time, rings have frequently taken the form of serpents, which have long been associated with eternal life, health and renewal. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has become famous for its widely loved Serpenti motif, for example, and its Serpenti ring, like the other accessories in the collection, began as an homage to jewelry of the Roman and Hellenistic eras. The serpent is now a popular motif in fine jewelry. Jewelry devotees have long pined for rings adorned with reptiles, thanks to antique Victorian rings — well, specifically, Queen Victoria’s illustrious engagement ring, which took the form of a gold snake set with rubies, diamonds and an emerald (her birthstone). Designs for Victorian-era engagement rings often featured repoussé work and chasing, in which patterns are hammered into the metal.
Engagement rings, which are reliably intimidating to shop for, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. On 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings.
The most collectible antique engagement rings and vintage engagement rings are those from the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. Named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who in succession ruled England starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign), antique Georgian rings, be they engagement rings or otherwise, are also coveted by collectors. Pearls, along with colored gemstones like garnets, rubies and sapphires, were widely used in Georgian jewelry. The late-1700s paste jewelry was a predecessor to what we now call fashion or costume jewelry.
The Art Nouveau movement (1880–1910) brought with it rings inspired by the natural world. Antique Art Nouveau rings might feature depictions of winged insects and fauna as well as women, who were simultaneously eroticized and romanticized, frequently with long flowing hair. Art Deco jewelry, on the other hand, which originated during the 1920s and ’30s, is by and large “white jewelry.” White metals, primarily platinum, were favored over yellow gold in the design of antique Art Deco rings and other accessories as well as geometric motifs, with women drawn to the era’s dazzling cocktail rings in particular.
Whether you’re hunting down a chunky classic for a Prohibition-themed cocktail party or seeking a clean contemporary design to complement your casual ensemble, find an exquisite collection of antique, new and vintage rings on 1stDibs.