Contemporary Jewelry
Contemporary jewelry is inextricably linked with the moment in which it is created, frequently reflecting current social, cultural and political issues such as environmental consciousness, identity and sustainability. It’s informed by fashion trends, from the chokers of the 1990s to the large chain necklaces of the early 2000s.
Jewelry is one of the oldest forms of adornment. Lockets made of silver or gold have been treasured gifts for hundreds of years, for example, and charm bracelets, which have existed since prehistoric times, didn’t become especially popular until the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. For many centuries, fine jewelry was used primarily to express wealth or status through lavish materials. Then, in the 1960s, a concept known as the “critique of preciousness” emerged, with jewelers creating pieces that did not get their value from gemstones or precious metals. Instead, it was the jeweler’s artistic vision that was prized and elevated.
This shift still informs Contemporary jewelry being made by artists today. Whether they are using cheap, found materials and working with provocative geometric shapes or seeking out the rarest stones, they are imbuing their work with meaning through their skills, techniques and ideas. Innovative designers such as Elsa Peretti, who popularized sculptural sterling-silver jewelry for Tiffany & Co., and David Yurman, who twisted metal into the simple yet striking Cable bracelet, have also influenced the direction of Contemporary jewelry’s forms and aesthetics.
Meanwhile, technological advancements like metal alloys and laser engraving have led to new possibilities in jewelry design. Now, edgy makers and brands as well as minimalist designers are pushing Contemporary jewelry forward into the 21st century.
Find a collection of Contemporary rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
2010s Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, Black Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Brown Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Jewelry
Black Pearl, South Sea Pearl, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
2010s British Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Brown Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Black Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 1...
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Jewelry
White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s Italian Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, South Sea Pearl, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow...
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Jade, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Chalcedony, South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Jewelry
Oriental Pearl, Black Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Cultured...
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Green Sapphire, 18k...
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Australian Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Black Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Black Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Aquamarine, Black Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Australian Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, Emerald, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Spinel, Quartz, Black Spinel, South Sea Pearl, Onyx, Brown Diamond, Yell...
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Australian Contemporary Jewelry
Spinel, South Sea Pearl, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold