Modern Choker 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 French Modern Choker Necklaces
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Enamel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
2010s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
1990s American Modern Choker Necklaces
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Mid-20th Century American Modern Choker Necklaces
Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Dutch Modern Choker Necklaces
Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Choker Necklaces
Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Danish Modern Choker Necklaces
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
1950s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
1940s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
1950s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
2010s Dutch Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Choker Necklaces
Rock Crystal
2010s French Modern Choker Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Choker Necklaces
Crystal, Turquoise
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
1970s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
2010s Hong Kong Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Choker Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
20th Century Danish Modern Choker Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1950s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
2010s French Modern Choker Necklaces
1980s French Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Gilt Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Hematite, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Choker Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s French Modern Choker Necklaces
1980s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
1980s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Choker Necklaces
Topaz, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Mixed Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s American Vintage Modern Choker Necklaces
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Choker Necklaces
Aquamarine, Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Choker Necklaces
Aquamarine, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Choker Necklaces
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Modern Choker Necklaces
Mixed Metal