Isadora Diamond Necklace

Through the Australian jewelry brand Opal Minded, Renata Bernard creates contemporary jewelry featuring gorgeous opals sourced from Australia's renowned opal mines. Her pendant necklaces, cocktail rings and dangle earrings showcase the beauty of the multicolored gemstone. She also designs one-of-a-kind opal engagement rings as striking alternatives to classic diamond rings.

Bernard moved to Australia from Eastern Europe in 1994 with only $100 in her wallet. She met and later married John Bernard, who had founded Opal Minded in Sydney in 1989. The brand is dedicated solely to opal jewelry made from stones unearthed from its own Queensland mines. While Australia is not the only source of opals in the world, it provides some of the rarest and most sought-after stones.

An ex-academic with a Ph.D. in cinema, Bernard fell in love with opals after meeting her husband. She became an accredited gemologist and valuer and took up the position of creative director at Opal Minded. She now designs every piece of Opal Minded jewelry in-house at the company’s design studio in the Dymocks Building in Sydney. The pieces are sold in Opal Minded’s chic boutique in The Rocks, a historic Sydney neighborhood.

Bernard reveals the inner beauty of Australian opals with jewelry ranging from understated bracelets that allow the stones to shine to glamorous necklaces with sparkling diamond embellishments. She finds inspiration everywhere, such as the organic forms in nature and the clean lines of modern architecture. By approaching every stone individually, she creates keepsakes made to be passed down through generations.

On 1stDibs, find Renata Bernard necklaces, rings, earrings and more.

Contemporary jewelry is inextricably linked with the moment in which it is created, frequently reflecting current social, cultural and political issues such as environmental consciousness, identity and sustainability. It’s informed by fashion trends, from the chokers of the 1990s to the large chain necklaces of the early 2000s.

Jewelry is one of the oldest forms of adornment. Lockets made of silver or gold have been treasured gifts for hundreds of years, for example, and charm bracelets, which have existed since prehistoric times, didn’t become especially popular until the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. For many centuries, fine jewelry was used primarily to express wealth or status through lavish materials. Then, in the 1960s, a concept known as the “critique of preciousness” emerged, with jewelers creating pieces that did not get their value from gemstones or precious metals. Instead, it was the jeweler’s artistic vision that was prized and elevated.

This shift still informs Contemporary jewelry being made by artists today. Whether they are using cheap, found materials and working with provocative geometric shapes or seeking out the rarest stones, they are imbuing their work with meaning through their skills, techniques and ideas. Innovative designers such as Elsa Peretti, who popularized sculptural sterling-silver jewelry for Tiffany & Co., and David Yurman, who twisted metal into the simple yet striking Cable bracelet, have also influenced the direction of Contemporary jewelry’s forms and aesthetics.

Meanwhile, technological advancements like metal alloys and laser engraving have led to new possibilities in jewelry design. Now, edgy makers and brands as well as minimalist designers are pushing Contemporary jewelry forward into the 21st century.

Find a collection of Contemporary rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

Also called Y necklaces as they are designed to hang a certain way, vintage drop necklaces are striking and adaptable. They can enhance everything from a casual sweater-and-jeans combo to an elegant heels-and-evening-dress pairing.

Adornment is an ancient human practice, with archeologists identifying early jewelry made from bones, claws and shells. As technology has advanced, so too have jewelry designs and the design of necklaces, from the simple to the intricate.

Drop necklaces come from lariat-style necklaces, which are chain necklaces that end in a tassel or pendant. A drop necklace’s design, meanwhile, is long with open ends, and it usually does not have a clasp. It consists of a single chain that wraps around the neck and a centerpiece — sometimes featuring a diamond or pearls — that hangs down to the middle of the chest. Drop necklaces frequently come in lengths from 16 to 20 inches, with the vertical lines making them appear longer than other necklaces of the same length.

Drop necklaces are extremely versatile, able to be worn knotted, draped or looped. They can be chunky statement pieces or thin, minimal designs. The range of drop necklaces that can be found on 1stDibs can accentuate the plunging necklines of modern looks or add flair to a basic ensemble.