Tiffany Modern Heart Pendant
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Silver
2010s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s Spanish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Rose Gold
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pink Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Onyx, Carnelian, Sterling Silver
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century French Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Spanish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Pendant Necklaces
Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Charm Bracelets
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
20th Century American Modern Link Bracelets
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Unknown Modern Link Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Link Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry
White Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Drop Necklaces
Diamond
1990s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
2010s Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectible Jewelry
Agate, Jade, Opal, Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
White Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Modern Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold, White Gold
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Tiffany Modern Heart Pendant For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Tiffany Modern Heart Pendant?
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.
Finding the Right necklaces for You
We are fortunate to know much of the world’s long and dazzling history of necklaces, as this type of jewelry was so treasured that it was frequently buried with its owners.
Lapis lazuli beads adorned necklaces unearthed from the royal graves at the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, while the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber revealed a sense of style that led to a frenzy of Art Deco designs, with artisans of the 1920s seeking to emulate the elegant work crafted by Ancient Egypt’s goldsmiths and jewelry makers.
In ancient times, pendant necklaces worn by royalty and nobles conferred wealth and prestige. Today, wearing jewelry is about personal expression: Luxury diamond necklaces exude confidence and can symbolize the celebratory nature of a deep romantic relationship, while paper-clip chain-link necklaces designed by the likes of goldsmith Faye Kim are firmly planted in the past as well as the present. Kim works exclusively with eco-friendly gold, and these fashionable, fun accessories owe to the design of 19th-century watch fobs.
For some, necklaces are thought of as being a solely feminine piece, but this widely loved accessory has been gender-neutral for eons. In fact, just as women rarely took to wearing a single necklace during the Renaissance, men of the era layered chains and valuable pendants atop their bejeweled clothing. In modern times, the free-spirited hippie and counterculture movements of the 1960s saw costume-jewelry designers celebrating self-expression through colorful multistrand necklaces and no shortage of beads, which were worn by anyone and everyone.
Even after all of these years, the necklace remains an irrefutable staple of any complete outfit. Although new trends in jewelry are constantly emerging, the glamour and beauty of the past continue to inform modern styles and designs. In a way, the cyclical history of the necklace differs little from its familiar looped form: The celebrated French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels found much inspiration in King Tut, and, now, their Alhambra collection is a go-to for modern royals. Vintage necklaces designed by David Webb — whose work landed him on the cover of Vogue in 1950, two years after opening his Manhattan shop — were likely inspired by the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt.
On 1stDibs, browse top designers like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, or shop by your favorite style, from eye-catching choker necklaces to understated links to pearl necklaces and more.