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 Modern Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, White Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Rings
Diamond, Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s British Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Rings
White Diamond, Rose Gold, 14k Gold
2010s British Modern Rings
Brown Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White G...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Peridot, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Diamond, Amethyst, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Emerald, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Amethyst, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Rings
Diamond, Ruby
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Sri Lankan Modern Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
2010s Indian Modern Rings
Blue Topaz, Diamond, Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Rings
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Rings
White Diamond, Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rings
Diamond, Blue Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Rings
White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Ruby, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Rings
Tourmaline, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rings
Garnet, Turquoise, Emerald, Yellow Gold, 9k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Belgian Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s North American Modern Rings
Diamond, Onyx, 14k Gold
2010s German Modern Rings
Black Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rings
Diamond, Platinum
1970s Vintage Modern Rings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Rings
Topaz, Blue Topaz, Rhodolite, Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Rings
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Rings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Tanzanite, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s German Modern Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold