Modern Cocktail Rings
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.
20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Platinum, Rose Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Morganite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Enamel, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Ruby, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Cocktail Rings
14k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Pearl, Onyx, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Tanzanite, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
1980s North American Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Gold
20th Century American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
Garnet, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Onyx, Diamond, 18k Gold
1980s European Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Cocktail Rings
Citrine, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s European Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
20th Century American Modern Cocktail Rings
1990s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Chalcedony, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Platinum
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
