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.
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Amethyst, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Topaz, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Bracelets
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Black Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Crystal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Opal, 18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Topaz, Blue Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Bracelets
Early 2000s American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Mexican Modern Bracelets
Amethyst, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Bracelets
Jade, Pearl, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Tanzanite, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Belgian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Belgian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Belgian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, White Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s Belgian Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Belgian Modern Bracelets
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
2010s Unknown Modern Bracelets
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Bracelets
Gold, Silver
2010s Canadian Modern Bracelets
Pearl, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Bracelets
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Bracelets
18k Gold
1990s French Modern Bracelets
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Bracelets
Sapphire, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Bracelets
Ruby, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Bracelets
14k Gold, Yellow Gold