Modern Chain Bracelets
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Chain Bracelets
Yellow Diamond, White Gold
2010s Ukrainian Modern Chain Bracelets
Natural Pearl, Silver, Sterling Silver
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Chain Bracelets
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Chain Bracelets
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Bracelets
Opal, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Bracelets
Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Chain Bracelets
Aquamarine, Gold, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
1990s American Modern Chain Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Bracelets
Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Chain Bracelets
Yellow Gold, 10k Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Spanish Modern Chain Bracelets
Amethyst, Tourmaline, Blue Sapphire, Ruby, Quartz, Emerald, Citrine, Aga...
2010s Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Bracelets
Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s British Vintage Modern Chain Bracelets
Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Chain Bracelets
18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Chain Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Bracelets
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Chain Bracelets
14k Gold, Gold-filled
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold
2010s Modern Chain Bracelets
14k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Chain Bracelets
Coral, Emerald, Moonstone, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Turkish Modern Chain Bracelets
Amethyst, Citrine, Diamond, White Diamond, Garnet, Multi-gemstone, Perid...