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With his exquisite contemporary and Byzantine-style pieces featuring details so fine that a magnifying glass is required to see them, it’s not surprising Alex Soldier is one of the most innovative jewelry designers of the 21st century.

Born Alexander Soldatov in the Russian city of Perm, nestled in the Ural Mountains, Soldier exhibited a childhood talent for woodcraft, painting miniatures and creating sculptures. However, he regarded his artistic interests as nothing more than a hobby and obtained a master’s degree in computer engineering. 

Although he was working as a computer engineer, Soldier’s wife Galina recognized his innate talent for jewelry design and encouraged him to consider a career as a jeweler. In 1981, Galina’s persistence paid off, and Soldier left computer engineering to work as an intern at the most prominent jewelry manufacturing company in the Ural region. His aptitude for artisanal workmanship earned him a promotion as the company’s chief designer in less than a year.

Soldier’s jewelry designs won numerous awards at trade shows throughout Eastern Europe, and his works soon caught the attention of a U.S.-based jewelry manufacturer. In 1991, Soldier moved with his family to the United States, where he worked briefly for the company before striking out on his own. 

Soldier is widely known for his masterful metalwork. With his passion for precision and alluring form, he uses a microscope to design his jewelry — he handcrafts fine details and textures with stainless steel instruments on such pieces as drop earrings, cocktail rings and pendant necklaces made with 18-karat gold, platinum and precious gemstones. Today, in the firm’s New York City workshop, the designer and his small staff create elegant pieces such as the gemstone-encrusted Snail ring and the Sunflower series, which is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings.  

Soldier’s fine jewelry craftsmanship has earned international accolades. He won the Platinum Passion Award in 1998 from Platinum Guild International and a Spectrum honor from the American Gem Trade Association in 2002. Since 2009, he has created the prize statuette for the Princess Grace Award and the Prince Rainier III Award. Celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Elizabeth Hurley have worn Alex Soldier jewelry over the years.

On 1stDibs, find a range of Alex Soldier earrings, rings and necklaces.

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.

Crafted to match every color palette, mood or whim, a luxurious pair of vintage clip-on earrings, like any pair of earrings, goes a long way toward completing a look and contributing to the rich form of self-expression that is accessorizing with your favorite jewelry.

Everyone loves a glamorous pair of earrings, but not everyone wants their ears pierced. That’s where a dazzling pair of clip-ons comes in.

Wearing earrings goes back thousands of years, but ear piercing didn’t really become popular in the United States until the 1950s and ’60s. Over the years, jewelry designers have endeavored to create all kinds of clip-on earrings to provide jewelry lovers with a way to express themselves by wearing their favorite adornments without having to undergo the piercing process.

Whether it’s the extravagant diamond clip-on drop earrings or chandelier earrings that flappers donned during Art Deco’s heyday — short hair was in style during the era, so women favored big, bold earrings — or if subdued pearl earrings, platinum earrings (a particularly versatile choice) or a contemporary variety is your thing, clip-on earrings have been made in all kinds of styles over the years.

Clip-on earrings continue to be a comfortable alternative to the traditional iteration, and these accessories are as stylish and adaptable to both casual and formal wear as they’ve ever been.

Explore a vast range of vintage clip-on earrings on 1stDibs now, and find the perfect pair for any ensemble. Our collection includes striking clip-on earrings by David Webb, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels and others.