Modern More 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.
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern More Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Rings
Ruby, White Gold
2010s British Modern More Rings
Diamond, Yellow Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Diamond, Emerald, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Rings
Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Rings
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Black Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern More Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern More Rings
White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Bulgarian Modern More Rings
Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Rings
Diamond, Pearl, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Rings
Ruby, White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Modern More Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern More Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Tanzanite, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Modern More Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern More Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern More Rings
Tourmaline, Yellow Gold, Rhodium, Sterling Silver, Gold, 18k Gold, White...
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern More Rings
Diamond, Black Diamond, Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Modern More Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Diamond, Amethyst, Rose Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s British Modern More Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Gold, 9k Gold
20th Century Modern More Rings
Citrine, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, Gold-filled, White Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Modern More Rings
Amethyst, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern More Rings
Garnet, Tsavorite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s English Modern More Rings
Emerald, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Diamond, Brown Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Modern More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Modern More Rings
White Diamond, Black Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Modern More Rings
Diamond, Black Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern More Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Rings
Platinum
2010s Modern More Rings
Amethyst, Diamond, 10k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern More Rings
Sapphire, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern More Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Modern More Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Modern More Rings
White Diamond, Pink Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern More Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s German Modern More Rings
Citrine, Gold, Bronze, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Rings
Diamond, Emerald, White Gold
2010s American Modern More Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern More Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Italian Modern More Rings
Multi-gemstone, Emerald, Ruby, Green Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern More Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Bulgarian Modern More Rings
Amethyst, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern More Rings
Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s British Modern More Rings
Yellow Diamond, White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, White Go...
