Modern Cufflinks
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.
Early 2000s Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cufflinks
Hematite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Steel, Gold, Stainless Steel, Yellow Gold
20th Century Danish Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
1980s Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Pink Sapphire, Rhodium, Silver
20th Century Italian Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold
1940s English Vintage Modern Cufflinks
9k Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Jade, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Tsavorite, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Russian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
1960s British Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Cufflinks
Silver
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Silver
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Cufflinks
Tiger's Eye, Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Jade, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Late 19th Century European Antique Modern Cufflinks
Silver
1960s Finnish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 14k Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Cufflinks
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Cufflinks
Tiger's Eye, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Cultured Pearl, Tiger's Eye, Natural Pearl, Pearl, Onyx, Malachite, Diam...
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Cufflinks
Quartz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Cufflinks
Tsavorite, Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Cufflinks
Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Ruby, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold...
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Natural Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow...
Mid-20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Natural Pearl, Malachite, Tiger's Eye, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Onyx, Diam...
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold...
20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Cufflinks
Chalcedony, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Malachite, Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gol...
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Pearl, Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 1...
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Onyx, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Ruby, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold