Modern Jewelry
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 American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Opal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
20th Century Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Silver Plate
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Citrine, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Onyx, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Australian Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Greek Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, Tanzanite, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century North American Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
1990s Italian Modern Jewelry
Silver Plate, Copper, Gilt Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Cambodian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Zircon, Blue Zircon, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Hematite, 18k Gold
20th Century Australian Modern Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Brass, Rhodium, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Jewelry
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Coral, Onyx, Black Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Belgian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tanzanite, Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
1990s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Steel, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Enamel
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Steel, Stainless Steel
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Brass, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s African Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Sterling Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Kunzite, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Onyx, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, Platinum
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, 14k Gold, White Gold
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