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.
1990s French Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Necklaces
Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Necklaces
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Necklaces
Gold, 9k Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Necklaces
Mixed Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Necklaces
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Necklaces
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Necklaces
Labradorite, Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Australian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Necklaces
Early 2000s French Modern Necklaces
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Necklaces
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 2000s North American Modern Necklaces
Pearl, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Necklaces
Pink Sapphire, Fire Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Rose Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
2010s American Modern Necklaces
Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Necklaces
White Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Necklaces
18k Gold
1920s American Vintage Modern Necklaces
Mixed Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Necklaces
Palladium, Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Necklaces
Ruby, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Necklaces
Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold, 24k Gold
1990s American Modern Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Aquamarine, Pink Sapphire, Topaz, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Garnet, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Necklaces
White Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Necklaces
Amethyst, Sterling Silver
20th Century Unknown Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Necklaces
Brass
2010s American Modern Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Australian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold
2010s French Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Necklaces
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Necklaces
Diamond, 10k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
1940s American Vintage Modern Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, Vermeil, Yellow Gold