Whiting Davis Hematite

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, new and vintage clamper bracelets are chic accessories for any formal or casual outfit. A clamper bracelet is essentially a bangle that opens and closes with a spring hinge.

Bracelets are truly a versatile type of jewelry, and while iterations such as Cartier’s legendary Love bracelet have played a role in the skyrocketing popularity of cuff-style bracelets, a cuff is far from the only glamorous option for collectors. Decadent yet elegant clamper bracelets with eye-catching carved designs or sparkling gems offer an impressive fashion boost.

Designers love a clamper bracelet. Many jewelers have worked with this style for years, creating variations on the accessory that can complement any ensemble. An Atlas bangle, for example — part of the greater Atlas collection from storied American luxury house Tiffany & Co. that includes rings, watches and other pieces — might be adorned in diamonds set in white gold, while a bold statement is made by BVLGARI’s Serpenti Jaeger-LeCoultre watch bracelet, a circa-1970s collaboration between the iconic jewelry house and Swiss watchmaker that dazzles with vibrant, multicolored enamel. (BVLGARI's Serpenti collection includes the Serpenti bracelet, the Serpenti watch and more and remains one of the Italian fine-jewelry house’s most recognizable to date.)

On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of antique, new and vintage clamper bracelets, from those with diamonds, rubies and finely carved designs to minimal but striking silver and white-gold bangles.