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.
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Enamel, Silver
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Agate, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver, Enamel
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Silver
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Agate, Labradorite, Lapis Lazuli, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Cufflinks
Yellow Gold, Other, Gold
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Greek Modern Cufflinks
Onyx, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century German Modern Cufflinks
2010s Greek Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Onyx, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Greek Modern Cufflinks
White Gold
2010s Greek Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Greek Modern Cufflinks
Onyx, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Greek Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Cufflinks
Lapis Lazuli, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Chrysophrase, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
White Diamond, Black Diamond, Brown Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Cufflinks
Rhodium
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Enamel, Sterling Silver
1960s Finnish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Silver
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Pearl, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Enamel, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Silver
20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold, Enamel
1970s French Vintage Modern Cufflinks
White Diamond, Rock Crystal, Crystal, Diamond, Jasper, 18k Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Cufflinks
Brass
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Jade, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Sapphire, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Cufflinks
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Silver
1990s Swiss Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Black Diamond, Emerald...
2010s Russian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Enamel, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Russian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s British Modern Cufflinks
Enamel, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Cufflinks
Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Cufflinks
Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold