Modern 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.
1970s American Vintage Modern Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Necklaces
Pink Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, 18k Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Necklaces
Mixed Metal
20th Century Dutch Modern Necklaces
Apatite, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Necklaces
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Necklaces
Amethyst, Citrine, Garnet, Iolite, Peridot, Topaz, Tourmaline, Gold, 9k ...
2010s Modern Necklaces
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Necklaces
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Necklaces
Opal, Black Opal, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Necklaces
Emerald, Gold
2010s Japanese Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Necklaces
Jade, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Necklaces
Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, White Gold, 14k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Necklaces
White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Amethyst, Diamond, White Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Necklaces
Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s French Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Necklaces
Alexandrite, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Necklaces
Ruby, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Necklaces
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s European Modern Necklaces
Diamond, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Pink Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Gold, White Gold
2010s French Modern Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century French Modern Necklaces
Crystal, Emerald, Rock Crystal, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Necklaces
Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Emerald, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Necklaces
Amethyst, Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Necklaces
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Necklaces
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold