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.
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Star Sapphire, Black Star, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Ruby, 14k Gold
2010s African Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Pearl, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Diamond, Platinum
2010s Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Garnet, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Purple Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold,...
1960s English Vintage Modern Jewelry
Brass
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
2010s Australian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Garnet, Sapphire, Tanzanite, 14k Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Citrine, 14k Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Chalcedony, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
2010s French Modern Jewelry
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Garnet, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Mozambican Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Other
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Sapphire, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Amethyst, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s German Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Tanzanite, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
1980s German Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Opal, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
1990s American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Jewelry
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold
1990s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Burmese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Platinum, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Russian Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Garnet, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Garnet, 14k Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Rhodium, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Peridot, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold