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.
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Australian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Black Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Ye...
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Amethyst, Citrine, Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Brown Diamond, Pearl, Quartz...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Emerald, Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Peridot, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Amethyst, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Black Pearl, Pearl, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Rock Crystal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Quartz, Silver, Sterling ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, Pearl, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k ...
Late 20th Century Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, Rock Crystal, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Pearl, Gold Plate
2010s Dutch Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Amethyst, Pearl, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold