Modern Brooches
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.
20th Century French Modern Brooches
Chalcedony, Onyx, Ruby, 18k Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Brooches
Silver, Enamel
20th Century Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Crystal, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Agate, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Amethyst, Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s European Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century European Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century European Modern Brooches
Diamond, Platinum
2010s European Modern Brooches
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s European Modern Brooches
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Enamel
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
1950s European Vintage Modern Brooches
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s European Modern Brooches
Sapphire, 18k Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Crystal, Rhodium
2010s European Modern Brooches
Emerald, Yellow Gold
1960s Austrian Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Quartz, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s French Modern Brooches
Pearl, Gilt Metal, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century French Modern Brooches
1980s European Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Amethyst, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Brooches
Onyx, Emerald, Diamond, Bronze, Yellow Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Brooches
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s German Modern Brooches
Diamond, Garnet, 18k Gold
Early 2000s German Modern Brooches
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Brooches
Citrine, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
20th Century European Modern Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Oriental Pearl, Platinum
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Onyx, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Base Metal, Brass
Early 2000s German Modern Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
1950s European Vintage Modern Brooches
Gold, Platinum
Early 2000s British Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, Silver, Enamel
1990s British Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
Sterling Silver, Gold Plate
Early 2000s German Modern Brooches
Tsavorite, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s German Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
Mid-20th Century Belgian Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Brooches
Citrine, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum