Modern Pendant 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 American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Pendant Necklaces
Ruby, Diamond, Emerald, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century French Antique Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond, Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Australian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pink Sapphire, Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Gold
2010s Thai Modern Pendant Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Modern Pendant Necklaces
Amethyst, Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Onyx, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century European Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Diamond, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Black Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Quartz, White Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold