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.
1990s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s Hong Kong Modern Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Multi-gemstone, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl
20th Century Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Gold Plate, Bronze, Gilt Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Quartz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Gold Plate
Early 2000s Modern Beaded Necklaces
White Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Mid-20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
1980s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Agate, Jade
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Jasper
1960s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
1980s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Black Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Carnelian, Emerald, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Oriental Pearl, Natural Pearl, Cultured Pearl, ...
20th Century Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Jade, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Beaded Necklaces
Moonstone, Pearl, Black Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Onyx
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Topaz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Australian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Aquamarine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Quartz, Pearl, Amethyst, Citrine, Cultured Pearl, Silver, Sterling Silver
1950s American Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Beaded Necklaces
Beryl, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
1960s Austrian Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Sapphire
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold