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.
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cufflinks
Multi-gemstone, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
1960s Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Modern Cufflinks
Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Black Diamond, Emerald...
2010s Spanish Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, Gold Plate, Rose Gold, Rhodium, Silver, Mixed Metal
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Black Diamond, Emerald...
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Pink Sapphire, Rhodium, Silver
1990s Swazi Modern Cufflinks
Sapphire, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Cufflinks
Moonstone, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s German Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Pearl, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Enamel, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Black Diamond, Emerald...
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Cufflinks
Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Tourmaline, Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
White Diamond, Black Diamond, Brown Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s English Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Cufflinks
Onyx, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cufflinks
Sapphire, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cufflinks
Opal, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cufflinks
Malachite, Yellow Sapphire, Citrine, Tourmaline, Jasper, Silver
2010s Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, Citrine, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rhodium...
1990s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Carnelian, Sapphire, 18k Gold