Modern Stud 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 Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century American Modern Stud Earrings
Jade, Gold
1990s Greek Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Thai Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Mid-20th Century American Modern Stud Earrings
Coral, Yellow Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century French Modern Stud Earrings
Jade, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Stud Earrings
18k Gold, Enamel
1980s French Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
22k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Sapphire, 14k Gold
1950s Dutch Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Pearl, 14k Gold
1970s Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Stud Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Stud Earrings
Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Jade, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century European Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Swiss Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Stud Earrings
Coral, Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Belgian Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Hong Kong Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Spanish Modern Stud Earrings
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Swiss Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century French Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Citrine, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Stud Earrings
18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Australian Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Platinum
1980s American Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Stud Earrings
Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s European Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century French Modern Stud Earrings
Crystal
Late 20th Century European Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
1960s British Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Stud Earrings
Ruby, Pearl, Yellow Gold, 22k Gold
1990s Finnish Modern Stud Earrings
Sterling Silver
20th Century Chinese Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel