Modern More 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.
Late 20th Century European Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Garnet, Quartz, Tsavorite, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Earrings
Agate, Tanzanite, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Earrings
Chrysophrase, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Ruby, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern More Earrings
Amethyst, Peridot, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Amethyst, Citrine, Garnet, Peridot, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Amethyst, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Peridot, 14k Gold
2010s French Modern More Earrings
Carnelian, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern More Earrings
Silver Plate, Gilt Metal
2010s Italian Modern More Earrings
Amethyst, Citrine, 18k Gold, Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern More Earrings
1980s Italian Vintage Modern More Earrings
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern More Earrings
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Ruby, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern More Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Yellow Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern More Earrings
1960s American Vintage Modern More Earrings
Turquoise, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern More Earrings
Emerald, 22k Gold
2010s English Modern More Earrings
Rhodium, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Tanzanite, Ruby, 14k Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern More Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern More Earrings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Earrings
Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern More Earrings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern More Earrings
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Multi-gemstone, Opal, Chalcedony, 18k Gold, 22k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern More Earrings
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Ruby, 14k Gold
1990s Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern More Earrings
1980s Vintage Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern More Earrings
Coral, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern More Earrings
Emerald, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold