Modern Models and Miniatures
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 British Vintage Modern Models and Miniatures
Opal, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Models and Miniatures
24k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Models and Miniatures
Gold, 24k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Canadian Modern Models and Miniatures
22k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Models and Miniatures
Rhodium, Brass
Early 2000s French Modern Models and Miniatures
Crystal, Brass, Palladium, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century American Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Models and Miniatures
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Rubelite, Ruby, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Garnet, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Models and Miniatures
Rhodium, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Yellow Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Ruby, Garnet, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Yellow Sapphire, Ruby, Rubelite, Garnet, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Ruby, Tiger's Eye, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Garnet, Ruby, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Models and Miniatures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Yellow Sapphire, Ruby, Rubelite, Garnet, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Australian Modern Models and Miniatures
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Garnet, Ruby, Yellow Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Tiger's Eye
19th Century European Antique Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
20th Century European Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Persian Modern Models and Miniatures
Silver
20th Century British Modern Models and Miniatures
9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Modern Models and Miniatures
Bronze
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Models and Miniatures
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Models and Miniatures
Gold, 24k Gold
2010s American Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, White Diamond, Garnet, Blue Sapphire, Tsavorite, Yellow Diamond...
1920s European Vintage Modern Models and Miniatures
Labradorite
20th Century Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Models and Miniatures
Black Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Modern Models and Miniatures
Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Models and Miniatures
Diamond, Rose Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Models and Miniatures
Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Models and Miniatures
Late 20th Century Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century English Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Models and Miniatures
Copper
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
20th Century Unknown Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Irish Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s British Modern Models and Miniatures
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Models and Miniatures
Gold Plate, Silver, Enamel
1890s French Antique Modern Models and Miniatures
Base Metal, Copper