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 Turkish Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Jewelry
Agate, Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Northern Irish Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Asian Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Go...
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Other, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Silver
Mid-20th Century Unknown Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Ros...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Natural Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Oriental Pearl, Gold,...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold
2010s British Contemporary Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 1...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 1...
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Black Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 1...
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Quartz, Oriental Pearl, Natural Pearl, Cultured Pearl,...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 1...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Natural Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18...
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s North American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14k Go...
2010s British Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18...
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Vermeil
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Russian Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Amazonite, Cultured Pearl, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Turquoise, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Sapphire, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold, ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gol...
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Turquoise, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Contemporary Jewelry
Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Peridot, Blue Topaz, Topa...
2010s British Contemporary Jewelry
White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, Gold, 1...
2010s British Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Gold, 18...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Oriental Pearl, South Sea Pearl...
Late 20th Century American Contemporary Jewelry
South Sea Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14...
2010s Contemporary Jewelry
Aquamarine, Beryl, Multi-gemstone, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Sapp...
2010s Italian Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Iolite, Apatite, Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Gold, 18k...
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14k Go...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Jewelry
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
1980s American Vintage Contemporary Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 1...