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.
1990s British Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Onyx, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rhodium
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Spinel, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Tsavorite, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Cufflinks
White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Cufflinks
Black Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, Spinel, Green Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Pink...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
1970s American Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Onyx, Platinum
20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, Spinel, Green Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Pink...
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Cultured Pearl, Tiger's Eye, Natural Pearl, Pearl, Onyx, Malachite, Diam...
Early 2000s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 14k Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Jade, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Natural Pearl, Malachite, Tiger's Eye, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Onyx, Diam...
2010s Russian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Natural Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow...
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, White Gold
2010s Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, White Diamond, Black Diamond, White Gold, Rhodium
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold...
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Enamel
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold...
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Ruby, White Gold
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
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Pearl, Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 1...
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Malachite, Tiger's Eye, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gol...
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Cufflinks
Chalcedony, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Greek Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold