Modern Bangles
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.
2010s French Modern Bangles
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bangles
Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s Dutch Modern Bangles
24k Gold, Gold Plate, Brass
2010s Modern Bangles
18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s American Modern Bangles
Crystal, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bangles
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Bangles
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold Plate, White Gold, Silver, Enamel
2010s American Modern Bangles
Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Bangles
Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bangles
Black Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bangles
Diamond, White Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bangles
Diamond, Rose Gold
2010s Italian Modern Bangles
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bangles
Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Bangles
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bangles
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Bangles
Tourmaline, Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Bangles
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Bangles
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Bangles
Diamond, Moonstone, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Afghan Modern Bangles
Tourmaline, 18k Gold
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Bangles
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Bangles
18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Bangles
24k Gold, Gold Plate, Brass
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bangles
Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bangles
2010s Modern Bangles
Carnelian, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Modern Bangles
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Modern Bangles
Carnelian, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Bangles
18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bangles
Diamond, 10k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bangles
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Yellow Gold, Platinum, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Bangles
Gold, Brass, Other
1990s European Modern Bangles
Amethyst, Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bangles
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Silver, Gold
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Amethyst, Diamond, Yellow Gold
1990s Indian Modern Bangles
White Diamond, Yellow Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Bangles
20th Century American Modern Bangles
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bangles
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bangles
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Bangles
Gold, Brass, Other