Modern Beaded Necklaces
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 Swiss Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Oriental Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Amethyst, Citrine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Polynesian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Black Pearl
1990s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, 14k Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Yellow Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, Freshwater Pearl, Cultured Pea...
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Amethyst, Peridot, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century European Modern Beaded Necklaces
White Diamond, Ruby, Onyx, Emerald, Diamond, Enamel, Yellow Gold, 18k Go...
2010s Modern Beaded Necklaces
14k Gold
2010s French Modern Beaded Necklaces
1980s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Gold Plate
1980s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, Black Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Tanzanite, 14k Gold
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, Rock Crystal, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Tourmaline, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Tourmaline, Yellow Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Ruby, Black...
Late 20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, White Gold, Ro...
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
White Diamond, Black Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
1950s Czech Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, White Gold
2010s Peruvian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Early 2000s North American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Japanese Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Quartz, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl
Early 2000s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Amazonite, Chalcedony, Quartz, Vermeil
Mid-20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Turquoise, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Black Pearl, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Black Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Tanzanite, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Black Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Citrine, Pearl, Quartz, Zircon, Sterling Silver, Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Sterling Silver, Silver
Early 2000s Modern Beaded Necklaces
White Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold