Roberto Coin Love In Verona Cuff

In his debut Appassionata collection in 1996, Italian designer Roberto Coin (b. 1944) made the ruby a core element of his designs. Inspired by ancient Egyptian and Burmese traditions of wearing a ruby against the skin as a talisman of love, joy and protection, Coin set a small ruby on the inside of his necklaces, rings and bracelets. The hidden ruby became Coin’s signature as he launched his brand as a groundbreaking innovator in quality Italian craftsmanship.

Coin’s talent lies in working with precious metals and creating unexpected designs by combining white, rose and yellow gold. Coin was initially a successful hotelier before leaving that career to pursue his passion for jewelry. Although he was born in Venice, Coin chose to set up his studio in Vicenza, Italy. Known as the “City of Gold,” Vicenza is the heart of the Italian gold and jewelry industry, boasting over 700 years of goldsmithing heritage.

Coin was interested in bringing new technology into Italian jewelry manufacturing, such as using machines originally intended to weave metal for car exhaust pipes to spin the gold wires for his jewelry. Coin’s brand produces hundreds of unique and limited-edition jewelry pieces every year and draws inspiration from the great Italian craft traditions as well as art, history and mythology.

Along with the signature ruby, the Appassionata collection’s most enduring legacy is the masterful fabric-like texture of the woven threads of gold. The technique of interlocking gold links that characterizes this series creates a beautiful basket weave that strengthens and elongates each piece’s life, rendering the accessories robust heirlooms. Coin’s other collections continue to offer innovations in design, from Classica Parisienne contributing to the trend for stacking white, rose and yellow gold together to Pois Moi involving square shapes and hand-etched and -carved details.

Find a collection of Roberto Coin rings, bracelets and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

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.

There is no shortage of iconic bracelet designs out there: Cartier’s Love bracelet, the widely admired Panthère, the Croisillon bracelet crafted by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., to name a few. And while you don’t necessarily need one of history’s most coveted versions of this accessory, you’re likely going to want at least a reliable collection of vintage cuff bracelets in your jewelry box.

Cuff bracelets are fashion staples. This stylish go-to — a rigid bracelet, open or outfitted with a clasp that snaps shut, understated and unadorned or enameled and flecked with gemstones — goes back thousands of years.

Cuffs were worn by Greek and Roman soldiers as they headed into battle as well as by the men and women of Ancient Egypt as statement-making jewelry. In ancient China, jade was considered the most precious of stones, and a jade cuff bracelet or bangle was associated with purity and goodness. Jewelers also employed jade, as well as coral and lapis lazuli, during the Art Deco period, finding inspiration in all kinds of influences and frequently working geometric motifs into their Art Deco cuff bracelets.

Today, people love how a bejeweled cuff bracelet elevates a simple jeans-and-T-shirt ensemble or that a minimalist one pairs with formal wear so well. Indeed, it’s a fine finishing touch whether you’re dining with friends in your neighborhood or pairing your silver or gold cuff with an elegant evening dress on the red carpet.

On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of vintage cuff bracelets today.