Modern Solitaire 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.
2010s Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Solitaire Rings
Quartz, Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold, 9k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Solitaire Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s African Modern Solitaire Rings
Topaz, Blue Topaz, Platinum, Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Solitaire Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Swiss Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Rose Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Brazilian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Solitaire Rings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Solitaire Rings
Onyx, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Rhodium
2010s Colombian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Solitaire Rings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s British Modern Solitaire Rings
Amethyst, Gold, 9k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Zircon, Blue Zircon, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Solitaire Rings
Amethyst, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Solitaire Rings
Tanzanite, White Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Danish Modern Solitaire Rings
Amethyst, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Solitaire Rings
Aquamarine, Platinum
Mid-20th Century French Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Platinum
1980s British Vintage Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Solitaire Rings
Tourmaline
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Solitaire Rings
Jade, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Modern Solitaire Rings
Jade, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Platinum