Modern 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 Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s African Modern Earrings
Quartz, Amethyst, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Earrings
9k Gold
20th Century American Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Platinum
1980s American Vintage Modern Earrings
Onyx, Black Opal, 18k Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Earrings
Topaz, Blue Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Earrings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Earrings
Carnelian, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Earrings
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Earrings
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Earrings
Cultured Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold, 10k Gold
1990s French Modern Earrings
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Modern Earrings
Gilt Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Earrings
Diamond, Tanzanite, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Earrings
Coral, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
20th Century Modern Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Earrings
Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Earrings
White Diamond, Quartz, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Earrings
Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Earrings
Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Earrings
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Earrings
Diamond, Opal, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s French Modern Earrings
Early 2000s German Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Earrings
Zircon, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Earrings
Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Italian Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Rhodium
2010s Hong Kong Modern Earrings
Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Silver
Late 20th Century French Modern Earrings
Citrine, Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Earrings
Citrine, Freshwater Pearl, Gold Plate
1980s French Vintage Modern Earrings
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Earrings
Amethyst, Peridot, Topaz, Blue Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold