Modern Rings

MODERN STYLE

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.

Style: Modern

Snake Ring Sterling Silver Emerald & Ruby Eyes - Marquis- Designer J Dauphin

$525Sale Price|30% Off

Snake Ring Sterling Silver Emerald & Ruby Eyes - Marquis- Designer J Dauphin

By J DAUPHIN

Located in Los Angeles, CA

J Dauphin Solid Silver Snake Ring with Emerald, Ruby and Marquise Aquamarine or Diamond — Los Angeles 2011 Designer: J Dauphin Made in Los Angeles, 2011 Solid silver From the J Daup...

Category

Early 2000s American Modern Rings

Materials

Aquamarine, Emerald, Ruby, Sterling Silver

Baguette Moissanite 925 Sterling Silver Ring Unisex Design.

$230 / item

Baguette Moissanite 925 Sterling Silver Ring Unisex Design.

Located in Chicago, IL

Baguette Moissanite 925 Sterling Silver Ring Unisex Design. Base Material: 925 Sterling Silver. Main Stone: Moissanite. Moissanite Color & Clarity: D Color & VVS1 Clarity. Baguette ...

Category

2010s Indian Modern Rings

Materials

Silver, Sterling Silver

Oval Bezel Black Opal Ring for Men silver, gold

$521Sale Price / item|44% Off

Oval Bezel Black Opal Ring for Men silver, gold

Modern Rings

Early 2000s American Modern Rings

2010s Indian Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

Late 20th Century French Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

20th Century American Modern Rings

20th Century Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

2010s Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

20th Century Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

20th Century Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

2010s American Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

20th Century Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings

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