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.
1990s Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Gold
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
2010s American Modern Brooches
1930s American Vintage Modern Brooches
Crystal, Silver
Mid-20th Century French Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Maltese Modern Brooches
Gold, Silver
2010s Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Brooches
Diamond, Iolite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Jade, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Modern Brooches
White Diamond, 18k Gold
1940s Central American Vintage Modern Brooches
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Brooches
Moonstone, Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Brooches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
2010s French Modern Brooches
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Emerald, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s British Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century European Modern Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Oriental Pearl, Platinum
Early 20th Century British Modern Brooches
Citrine, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Jade, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Kunzite, Pearl, Topaz, Blue Topaz, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Diamond, Garnet, Blue Sapphire, White Gold
20th Century American Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Brooches
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1960s French Vintage Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Brooches
2010s American Modern Brooches
20th Century Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, Jade, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Brooches
Amethyst, Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, White Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Brooches
White Diamond, Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
1990s North American Modern Brooches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Enamel
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Chrome Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Wh...
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Brooches
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Quartz, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Whi...
20th Century American Modern Brooches
Crystal, Diamond, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Brooches
Paraiba, Tourmaline, Emerald, White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White...
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Brooches
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Brooches
Diamond, Quartz, Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Brooches
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold