Steven Kretchmer
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Early 2000s American Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, 24k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Engagement Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
Early 2000s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, 24k Gold, Platinum
People Also Browsed
2010s American Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Turkish Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Steel
2010s American Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond
Vintage 1970s Unknown Retro Engagement Rings
Diamond, Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Band Rings
Platinum
20th Century Engagement Rings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1950s American Beaded Necklaces
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century French Engagement Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Classical Greek Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Gold, 24k Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Recent Sales
2010s American Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 24k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Dangle Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 24k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Charm Bracelets
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Stud Earrings
Ruby, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 24k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary More Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum, 24k Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Tanzanite, 24k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Rubelite, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
1990s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pink Sapphire, 24k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Stud Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Black Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Stud Earrings
Diamond, Platinum
Steven Kretchmer For Sale on 1stDibs
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A Close Look at modern Jewelry
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.
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