Ruby Zoisite Bangle

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.

This deep red gem is the color of heat and passion — vintage and antique ruby jewelry is perfect for those born in the middle of summer.

Rubies are one of the few gemstones that can give diamonds a run for their money. Just consider the Van Cleef & Arpels “scarf” necklace the Duke of Windsor presented to the Duchess on her 40th birthday, in 1936 — set with diamonds and dripping with rubies, a testament to the deep-red gemstone’s power — or the slippers encrusted with 4,600 rubies that Harry Winston made to commemorate The Wizard of Oz’s golden anniversary. July babies have permission to adorn themselves with this beautiful red stone even when it’s not their birthday.

Rubies are considered precious stones — along with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds — and have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs Scale, surpassed only by Moissanite and diamonds. They are composed of corundum, a colorless mineral that is also the basic material of sapphires. In the July birthstone, the red of the gemstone — and the various hues seen in sapphires — are produced by the presence of trace elements. In the case of a ruby, this element is chromium. Rubies range in color from vermilion to a violet red. They are also pleochroic, which means that a stone’s hue can vary depending on the direction of viewing. The most sought-after color is pigeon’s blood: pure red with a hint of blue.

Rubies that are hosted in dolomite marble are the most prized: Because the marble is low in iron, so are the rubies, resulting in a more intense color. Rubies found in basalt, which has a higher iron content, are generally darker and less intense.

When shopping for antique and vintage ruby jewelry, remember that the 4Cs of selecting the perfect diamond — color, clarity, cut and carat — also apply to rubies.

According to the Gemological Institute of America, the color of the July birthstone should be a vibrant to slightly purplish red, and the stone should be clear and inclusion-free. Accordingly, the cut should show off its color and clarity. As for the last criterion, fine rubies more than a carat in weight are rare. Often, large rubies are more expensive than diamonds of comparable weights.

Find a collection of ruby necklaces, ruby rings and other accessories on 1stDibs.

Today, it would be tough to track down a jewelry lover who doesn’t have a stack of vintage bangles and other bracelets ready to go for any occasion.

People have worn bangles and other bracelets for centuries. Examples can be found in the wide range of personal adornments favored by the Ancient Egyptians, some of whom wore bracelets and armlets made of gold and flecked with gemstones such as lapis and turquoise.

Fashion has evolved over the years, but the popularity of bangles has remained the same. Jewelry makers have created cuffs in all manner of styles, and no matter what your taste, you can find antique and vintage diamond bangles, ruby bangles, emerald bangles and more to suit you and to pair with any of your favorite ensembles. And although “bracelets” and “bangles” are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two.

Bangles are solid, one-piece bands that are always characterized by their rigid ring shape. Today, they’re made of metal, plastic, wood or other materials. Because this cuff is a solid piece, you have to slide it over your hand. Bracelets, however, are flexible pieces. Whether they’re charm bracelets, link bracelets, beaded bracelets or another variety, you open and close a bracelet at its ends, where it locks around your wrist with a clasp.

Bracelets and bangles suit most anyone, and there’s a style of bangle for every occasion, whether you’ve opted for an Art Deco bangle, a Victorian-era bangle or another kind. And their versatility doesn’t end there. Jewelry lovers know that when it comes to bangle bracelets (and other kinds of bracelets), you never have to choose just one. Just as you might wear a vintage tennis bracelet by itself or pair it with other thin bracelets, you can opt for a simple pared-down look with a single bangle or go big and stack your sculptural modern bangles to deepen their impact or double up your classic gold bangles and pair them with a T-shirt and jeans or a comfortable cotton day dress.

Browse an extensive collection of vintage bangle bracelets and other bracelets on 1stDibs. Find extraordinary works by iconic jewelry houses such as Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and David Webb, or peruse the array of link bracelets, cuff bracelets and diamond bangle bracelets for innumerable accessorizing options.