Modern Cuff 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.
1960s American Vintage Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Enamel
2010s American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Yellow Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Cuff Bracelets
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
20th Century Unknown Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cuff Bracelets
Crystal, Zircon, Malachite
2010s Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Turquoise, Rose Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Beryl, Tourmaline, Green Beryl, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver, Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Brass
2010s Australian Modern Cuff Bracelets
South Sea Pearl, Diamond, Black Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Brass
2010s Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s English Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Cuff Bracelets
Coral, Diamond, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1950s Indian Vintage Modern Cuff Bracelets
22k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s French Modern Cuff Bracelets
2010s American Modern Cuff Bracelets
White Gold, Rhodium
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cuff Bracelets
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Cuff Bracelets
2010s American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, Enamel, 18k Gold, Silver
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Cuff Bracelets
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Cuff Bracelets
1990s French Modern Cuff Bracelets
Other
2010s Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
White Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Cuff Bracelets
20th Century American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Cuff Bracelets
2010s American Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Vermeil
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold