Modern 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.
1970s Vintage Modern Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Bracelets
Palladium, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Bracelets
Ruby, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century French Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Agate, Geode, Druzy, Base Metal
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Rose Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Bracelets
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Bracelets
White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Bracelets
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Bracelets
Amethyst, Citrine, Peridot, Topaz, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 18k Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Tsavorite, 14k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Bracelets
2010s French Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Bracelets
2010s Turkish Modern Bracelets
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Bracelets
Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century American Modern Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Rose Gold
1990s British Modern Bracelets
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Modern Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Steel, Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Bracelets
Agate, Multi-gemstone, Quartz, Turquoise, Gold Plate, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Bracelets
Gold Plate, Rose Gold
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Bracelets
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold





