Modern Drop Earrings
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 American Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Garnet, Diamond, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s American Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Drop Earrings
Opal, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Coral, Topaz, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
2010s Australian Modern Drop Earrings
Chalcedony, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Drop Earrings
Multi-gemstone, Black Jade, Black Diamond, Diamond, Jade, Silver, Sterli...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Drop Earrings
Pink Diamond, Diamond, White Diamond, Rose Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Tanzanite, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Citrine, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Pearl, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century French Modern Drop Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Drop Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Titanium
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Morganite, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s French Modern Drop Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Drop Earrings
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Gold, White Gold
2010s Canadian Modern Drop Earrings
Quartz, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold-filled, Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
2010s Turkish Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Drop Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Modern Drop Earrings
Brown Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Canadian Modern Drop Earrings
Quartz, Gold, Gold-filled
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Quartz, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Drop Earrings
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s North American Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Quartz, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Quartz, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Drop Earrings
Quartz, Enamel
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s French Modern Drop Earrings
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Drop Earrings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver