Modern Fashion 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 American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Yellow Gold, Platinum
15th Century and Earlier Turkish Antique Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Tanzanite, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Bulgarian Modern Fashion Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Black Opal, Opal, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Peridot, Topaz, 14k Gold
1950s Portuguese Vintage Modern Fashion Rings
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Gold
2010s American Modern Fashion Rings
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Fashion Rings
Pink Sapphire, Tanzanite, Emerald, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century Finnish Modern Fashion Rings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Fashion Rings
Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Fashion Rings
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Fashion Rings
Tourmaline, Gold, 22k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Fashion Rings
Blue Sapphire, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Fashion Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 10k Gold
20th Century American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Gold, 22k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Fashion Rings
Pink Diamond, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Fashion Rings
Quartz, Silver
20th Century American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Dutch Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century French Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Blue Sapphire, 24k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Fashion Rings
Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Amethyst, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century German Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Garnet, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Fashion Rings
Turquoise, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Fashion Rings
Emerald, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Fashion Rings
Citrine, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fashion Rings
Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century European Modern Fashion Rings
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Fashion Rings
Amethyst, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Fashion Rings
Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Tourmaline, Tsavorite, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Amethyst, 14k Gold
20th Century American Modern Fashion Rings
Star Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Fashion Rings
Ruby, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Pink Diamond, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Fashion Rings
Citrine, Diamond, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold