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.
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern More Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Earrings
Coral, Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, Pink Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern More Earrings
White Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Modern More Earrings
Emerald, Spinel, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Earrings
Malachite, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s German Modern More Earrings
Quartz, Rose Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Earrings
Citrine, White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Aquamarine, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Black Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
2010s German Modern More Earrings
Pearl, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, White Gold
2010s American Modern More Earrings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Tanzanite, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Modern More Earrings
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern More Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern More Earrings
White Diamond, Topaz, Blue Topaz, White Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Quartz, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s American Modern More Earrings
White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s American Modern More Earrings
24k Gold, Sterling Silver, Vermeil
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern More Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold...
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Bulgarian Modern More Earrings
Peridot, Blue Topaz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Black Diamond, Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern More Earrings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Earrings
Crystal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern More Earrings
Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, Gold, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver, Silver...
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Kunzite, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Ruby, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Garnet, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Amethyst, Citrine, Garnet, Peridot, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Ruby, Peridot, Garnet, Citrine, Amethyst, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Amethyst, Garnet, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Amethyst, Garnet, Peridot, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern More Earrings
Yellow Diamond, Spinel, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern More Earrings
White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Tsavorite, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold