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.
2010s African Modern Rings
Diamond, Aquamarine, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Rings
Moonstone, Tourmaline, Tsavorite, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Rings
18k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Rings
Pink Sapphire, Topaz, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Rings
Diamond, Tanzanite, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Diamond, 22k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Hong Kong Modern Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Tanzanite, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Rings
18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Rings
Sterling Silver, Palladium
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
White Diamond, Ruby, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Rings
Alexandrite, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Rings
Tanzanite, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, Tanzanite, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Amethyst, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Rings
White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s European Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Spinel, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Diamond, Peridot, Enamel
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Rings
Amethyst, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s Irish Modern Rings
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Coral, Diamond, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Rings
Diamond, Blue Topaz
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold