Modern More Jewelry
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.
1960s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Mid-20th Century Canadian Modern More Jewelry
Late 20th Century German Modern More Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Crystal, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Jewelry
Zircon, Blue Zircon, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern More Jewelry
9k Gold, Gold
2010s Modern More Jewelry
Diamond
1970s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern More Jewelry
24k Gold
1990s Italian Modern More Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Enamel, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Gold Plate, Bronze, Enamel, Gilt Metal
2010s Modern More Jewelry
Blue Diamond, Pink Diamond
2010s Modern More Jewelry
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern More Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern More Jewelry
Opal, Fire Opal, Gold, Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Jewelry
Quartz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Jewelry
Enamel
2010s Modern More Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Modern More Jewelry
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern More Jewelry
Gilt Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern More Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern More Jewelry
1950s British Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Carnelian, Silver
1980s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Amethyst, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Jewelry
Tourmaline
Late 20th Century French Modern More Jewelry
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern More Jewelry
Gold, Stainless Steel, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern More Jewelry
Ruby, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Unknown Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1960s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry
1940s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Finnish Modern More Jewelry
Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern More Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s North American Modern More Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern More Jewelry
24k Gold, Gold Plate, Brass
2010s English Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 19th Century North American Antique Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s English Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern More Jewelry
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Modern More Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1930s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry
1990s American Modern More Jewelry
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern More Jewelry
Sterling Silver