Rock N Roll Earring
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Opal, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Stud Earrings
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Citrine, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Opal, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Stud Earrings
Opal, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Peridot, Topaz, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Dangle Earrings
White Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver, Silver
2010s American Contemporary Dangle Earrings
White Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Stud Earrings
White Diamond, Opal, 10k Gold, Sterling Silver, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Stud Earrings
Opal, Emerald, 10k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Rings
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold
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20th Century Chinese Art Deco Stud Earrings
Diamond, Opal, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Drop Earrings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Quartz, Topaz, Blue Topaz, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s Italian Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
2010s Asian Contemporary Drop Earrings
Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Amethyst, 18k Gold
1950s American Cocktail Dresses
1970s French Informal Dresses
1960s Italian Sheath Dresses
Vintage 1980s Brooches
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Amethyst, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Diamond, Tourmaline, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Retro Brooches
Crystal
2010s American Artisan Drop Earrings
Quartz, Other, 18k Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
Recent Sales
2010s American Modern Hoop Earrings
White Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Stud Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Stud Earrings
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Stud Earrings
Black Pearl, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Drop Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American More Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Earrings
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Earrings
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary More Earrings
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold
2010s Dangle Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Onyx, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Turquoise, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Garnet, Quartz, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Quartz, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Chalcedony, Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Stud Earrings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Chalcedony, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary More Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Garnet, Quartz, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Opal, 10k Gold, Sterling Silver
1990s French Trouser Pant Suits
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Drop Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Rock N Roll Earring For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Rock N Roll Earring?
A Close Look at contemporary Jewelry
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.
Finding the Right earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.