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.
1980s American Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Onyx, Carnelian, Sterling Silver
1970s French Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century German Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1990s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
South Sea Pearl, Pearl, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 9k Gold, Gold
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1920s Unknown Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1990s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century European Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow ...
Mid-20th Century French Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, Enamel
1990s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Amethyst, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Opal, Fire Opal, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, Rose Gold...
Mid-20th Century American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1960s Asian Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Chalcedony, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s German Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
Onyx, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Australian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Gold, 15k Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
20th Century Swiss Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century European Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century German Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century French Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold