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.
2010s Caribbean Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Larimar, Apatite, 14k Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
1960s Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Beaded Necklaces
Gold Plate, Bronze, Enamel, Gilt Metal
Early 2000s Modern Beaded Necklaces
Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Tourmaline, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Quartz, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Mid-20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Onyx, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century English Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Modern Beaded Necklaces
Hematite, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
1950s French Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Beaded Necklaces
Rainbow Moonstone, Moonstone, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Beaded Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Moonstone, Opal, Sapphire, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Beaded Necklaces
Agate, Aventurine, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Turquoise, Citrine, Lapis Lazuli, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, Yellow ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
20th Century Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s Malagasy Modern Beaded Necklaces
Turquoise, 14k Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Beaded Necklaces
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Beaded Necklaces
Amber, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Black Pearl, Rhodium, Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Turquoise, Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Australian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, 14k Gold
1990s French Modern Beaded Necklaces
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Onyx, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Beaded Necklaces
Spinel, 18k Gold
2010s French Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Tanzanite, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Peruvian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Quartz, Jasper, Amazonite, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, 9k Gold, White Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold