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.
2010s North American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold
2010s Swiss Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold, Stainless Steel, Yellow Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Crystal, Silver
2010s British Modern More Jewelry and Watches
White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Zircon, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
14k Gold
1990s Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
White Diamond, 18k Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Tsavorite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
White Diamond, Sapphire, Pearl, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
20th Century American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Yellow Gold
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
14k Gold, Enamel
1960s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 10k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Tourmaline
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Black Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Brown Diamond, Diamond, Pink Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Gold
1990s Unknown Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Emerald, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Sterling Silver
1990s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
2010s North American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Freshwater Pearl, White Gold
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Emerald, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Amethyst, Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond
1950s American Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
2010s French Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, White Diamond
2010s British Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Spanish Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Spanish Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Jewelry and Watches
18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Rose Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
2010s Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Blue Diamond, White Diamond, Diamond
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern More Jewelry and Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Platinum
2010s European Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Natural Pearl, Silver, Sterling Silver
1990s Thai Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Early 2000s Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern More Jewelry and Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Peridot
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Diamond, Ruby, White Gold
2010s American Modern More Jewelry and Watches
Quartz, Vermeil