Modern More Jewelry and Watches
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 American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Sapphire, Topaz, Sterling Silver, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Silver, Sterling Silver, Enamel, Rhodium
Early 2000s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Amber, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Ruby, White Gold
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
14k Gold
2010s English Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Emerald, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold Plate
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
1990s British Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Onyx, Gold
1990s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
2010s Thai Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Yellow Gold, Steel
1960s British Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold, 9k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, Gold Plate, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
20th Century Unknown Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Garnet, Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold, 9k Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Moonstone, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Brass
1990s French Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, Gold Plate
2010s Thai Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
1990s French Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Opal, Tanzanite, Tsavorite, White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Peridot
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond
Early 2000s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Mid-20th Century Canadian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
2010s European Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Crystal, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century German Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond