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.
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s American Modern Brooches
Coral, Diamond, Onyx, Pearl, 18k Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, Platinum
Early 2000s German Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Brooches
Amethyst, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s European Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brooches
Opal, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Brazilian Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Brooches
18k Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Brooches
Moonstone, Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Moonstone, 18k Gold, Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Brooches
Emerald, Moonstone, Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Yellow Diamon...
1980s English Vintage Modern Brooches
Aquamarine, Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
1960s French Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, Silver, Enamel
Early 2000s British Modern Brooches
Multi-gemstone, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Brooches
Citrine, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1970s Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Silver, Sterling Silver
1960s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Mixed Metal
1990s American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Brooches
Peridot, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
Early 1900s American Antique Modern Brooches
White Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Gold
1970s Vintage Modern Brooches
Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Enamel
1970s Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1950s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Ruby, Cat’s Eye, Gold, 18k Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Brooches
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Brooches
Coral, 14k Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Enamel
Early 2000s Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, Silver, Enamel
Early 2000s Modern Brooches
Ruby, Diamond, Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Brooches
1950s Vintage Modern Brooches
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Brooches
18k Gold, Enamel
1960s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Mixed Metal
2010s Modern Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Purple Sapphire, Gold, Enamel
20th Century American Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Enamel, 18k Gold
20th Century English Modern Brooches
Platinum
2010s Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Enamel, Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Modern Brooches
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold, Enamel
1940s French Vintage Modern Brooches
Mixed Metal
Early 20th Century French Modern Brooches
18k Gold, Silver
1960s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Silver Plate, Mixed Metal