Thoscene Rings

Prolific jewelry designer John Brevard said it was a near-fatal childhood illness that led him to question the nature of human existence and its connection with the universe. Art and design would come to serve as an outlet for his self-expression, and Brevard’s visually engaging, cerebral and environmentally sustainable statement pieces embody the essence of 21st-century modernism.

Born in 1982 in Miami, Florida, Brevard had an intrinsic interest in nature and the arts as a child. However, at age 14, he contracted encephalitis and meningitis, leaving him comatose for several weeks. His recovery left him with a deep-seated desire to explore broad philosophical questions about human existence.

“There’s nothing more inspiring than the universe,” Brevard told Haute Living in 2014. “I’m influenced by realms of existence beyond our five physical senses ... alternate dimensions beyond our normal waking state consciousness.”

The experience, Brevard claimed, “served as the catalyst for his design philosophy and work ethic,” and he pursued a career in the arts, graduating with degrees in architecture and design.

In 2007, Brevard established his namesake brand. Its offerings included jewelry, accessories, handbags, shoes, furniture, art and more. He opened his first pop-up showroom in 2010 in Wynwood — an arts and culture district in Miami — where he displayed his visual art, which was listed in the Miami New Times’ “Best of Miami.”

Brevard launched his first luxury jewelry line in 2012 with fashion rings, pendant necklaces and cuff bracelets made of gold and silver, and embellished with precious stones. He opened his first permanent atelier and appointment-only showroom in Coral Gables the following year.

In 2015, Brevard opened his first flagship store in New York City and gained membership to the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He also launched Thoscene — a unique customization software that uses an astrological algorithm to create jewelry and accessories based on the time, date and location of a person’s birth.

Today, Brevard’s jewelry and other works can be found in galleries and retailers worldwide and have been featured in magazines such as Vogue, Forbes and Vanity Fair.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of John Brevard rings, necklaces, bracelets and more.

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.

Antique and vintage rings have long held a special place in the hearts of fine jewelry lovers all over the world.

No matter their origin or specific characteristics, rings are timeless, versatile accessories. They’ve carried deep meaning since at least the Middle Ages, when diamond rings symbolized strength and other kinds of rings were worn to signify romantic feelings or to denote an affiliation with a religious order. Rings have also forever been emblematic of eternity.

Over time, rings have frequently taken the form of serpents, which have long been associated with eternal life, health and renewal. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has become famous for its widely loved Serpenti motif, for example, and its Serpenti ring, like the other accessories in the collection, began as an homage to jewelry of the Roman and Hellenistic eras. The serpent is now a popular motif in fine jewelry. Jewelry devotees have long pined for rings adorned with reptiles, thanks to antique Victorian rings — well, specifically, Queen Victoria’s illustrious engagement ring, which took the form of a gold snake set with rubies, diamonds and an emerald (her birthstone). Designs for Victorian-era engagement rings often featured repoussé work and chasing, in which patterns are hammered into the metal.

Engagement rings, which are reliably intimidating to shop for, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. On 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings. 

The most collectible antique engagement rings and vintage engagement rings are those from the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. Named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who in succession ruled England starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign), antique Georgian rings, be they engagement rings or otherwise, are also coveted by collectors. Pearls, along with colored gemstones like garnets, rubies and sapphires, were widely used in Georgian jewelry. The late-1700s paste jewelry was a predecessor to what we now call fashion or costume jewelry. 

The Art Nouveau movement (1880–1910) brought with it rings inspired by the natural world. Antique Art Nouveau rings might feature depictions of winged insects and fauna as well as women, who were simultaneously eroticized and romanticized, frequently with long flowing hair. Art Deco jewelry, on the other hand, which originated during the 1920s and ’30s, is by and large “white jewelry.” White metals, primarily platinum, were favored over yellow gold in the design of antique Art Deco rings and other accessories as well as geometric motifs, with women drawn to the era’s dazzling cocktail rings in particular.

Whether you’re hunting down a chunky classic for a Prohibition-themed cocktail party or seeking a clean contemporary design to complement your casual ensemble, find an exquisite collection of antique, new and vintage rings on 1stDibs.