Modern 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 Thai Modern Rings
Citrine, Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Rings
Amethyst, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Tanzanite, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Early 2000s Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Rings
Sapphire, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Rings
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Rings
Sterling Silver
1980s Vintage Modern Rings
Chalcedony, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Pink Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Ruby, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Yellow Gold, 22k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Emerald, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Yellow Diamond, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Ruby, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
20th Century Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Rings
Diamond, Aquamarine, 18k Gold
Early 2000s North American Modern Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Amethyst, Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Emerald, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
1980s Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1950s Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Modern Rings
Coral, Diamond, Onyx, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Rock Crystal, Topaz, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Rings
Diamond
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Early 20th Century Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1950s Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Modern Rings
Ruby, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
1950s Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold