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.
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sterling Silver
1960s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Chrysophrase, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Topaz, Blue Topaz, Gold Plate, Silver
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, 18k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Tsavorite, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Peridot, Tsavorite, Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Peridot, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Opal, Pearl, Gold Plate, Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Onyx, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Brass
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Tsavorite, Ruby, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Morganite, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Enamel
1990s French Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Sapphire, Gold Plate, Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Peridot, Sapphire, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Black Diamond, Morganite, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
1960s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
20th Century Spanish Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
2010s Ukrainian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s Dutch Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Jewelry
Steel
20th Century Danish Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Silver Plate
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Enamel
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Silver Plate, Gilt Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Diamond, Sterling Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
2010s Cambodian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Zircon, Blue Zircon, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Quartz, Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
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