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.
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Jade, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Moonstone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Malachite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s European Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Cocktail Rings
Jade, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Cocktail Rings
Topaz, Blue Topaz
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
1960s English Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Cocktail Rings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Agate, 10k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Cocktail Rings
Tsavorite, Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver, Silver
2010s Chinese Modern Cocktail Rings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Emerald, Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Garnet, Tsavorite, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Bulgarian Modern Cocktail Rings
Citrine, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Cocktail Rings
Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s European Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Rubelite, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Cocktail Rings
Chalcedony, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s North American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Peridot, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Spinel, White Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Rainbow Moonstone, Diamond, Moonstone, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Cocktail Rings
Tsavorite, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Cocktail Rings
Tourmaline, 22k Gold
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Chinese Modern Cocktail Rings
Zircon, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Cocktail Rings
Citrine, Topaz, 14k Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Cocktail Rings
Early 2000s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s European Modern Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold