Contemporary Drop Earrings
Contemporary jewelry is inextricably linked with the moment in which it is created, frequently reflecting current social, cultural and political issues such as environmental consciousness, identity and sustainability. It’s informed by fashion trends, from the chokers of the 1990s to the large chain necklaces of the early 2000s.
Jewelry is one of the oldest forms of adornment. Lockets made of silver or gold have been treasured gifts for hundreds of years, for example, and charm bracelets, which have existed since prehistoric times, didn’t become especially popular until the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. For many centuries, fine jewelry was used primarily to express wealth or status through lavish materials. Then, in the 1960s, a concept known as the “critique of preciousness” emerged, with jewelers creating pieces that did not get their value from gemstones or precious metals. Instead, it was the jeweler’s artistic vision that was prized and elevated.
This shift still informs Contemporary jewelry being made by artists today. Whether they are using cheap, found materials and working with provocative geometric shapes or seeking out the rarest stones, they are imbuing their work with meaning through their skills, techniques and ideas. Innovative designers such as Elsa Peretti, who popularized sculptural sterling-silver jewelry for Tiffany & Co., and David Yurman, who twisted metal into the simple yet striking Cable bracelet, have also influenced the direction of Contemporary jewelry’s forms and aesthetics.
Meanwhile, technological advancements like metal alloys and laser engraving have led to new possibilities in jewelry design. Now, edgy makers and brands as well as minimalist designers are pushing Contemporary jewelry forward into the 21st century.
Find a collection of Contemporary rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
2010s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Tanzanite, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Crystal, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Vermeil
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, 24k Gold, Gold-filled, Gold Plate
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, 24k Gold, Gold-filled, Gold Plate, Brass
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, 24k Gold, Gold-filled, Gold Plate
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Multi-gemstone, Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Rhodium, Silver, Sterl...
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Quartz, Oriental Pearl, Natural Pearl, Cultured Pearl,...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, White Gold
2010s British Contemporary Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, Gold, 1...
2010s Turkish Contemporary Drop Earrings
Blue Topaz, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Topaz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
2010s British Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 24k Gold, Gold-filled, Gold Plate
2010s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Aquamarine, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Oriental Pearl, South Sea Pearl...
2010s British Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gol...
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Oriental Pearl, Natural Pearl, Freshwater Pea...
2010s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Amber, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Diamond, Brown Diamond, Pearl, G...
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 24k Gold, Gold-filled, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Oriental Pearl, Quartz, Diamond, Pearl,...
2010s Italian Contemporary Drop Earrings
Hematite, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond...
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Amethyst, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Rose Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Natural Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Pearl, Brown Diamond, Diamond, Yellow G...
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Iolite, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Pearl, Rhodolite, Amethyst, Freshwater Pearl, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Drop Earrings
Tsavorite, Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 18...
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Quartz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Morganite, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Go...
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Gold, Rose Gold
2010s German Contemporary Drop Earrings
Quartz, Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pe...
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Iolite, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Morganite, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Go...
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Freshwater Pearl, Sapphire, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Multi-gemstone, Onyx, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Oriental P...
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Drop Earrings
Black Pearl, Oriental Pearl, Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater ...
1990s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s British Contemporary Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gol...
2010s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, White Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Fluorite, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Chrysophrase, Lapis Lazuli, Freshwater Pearl, Zircon, Vermeil
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Contemporary Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, White Gold
2010s British Contemporary Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Yellow Diamond, Black Pearl, Cu...