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 Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 18k Gold, 22k Gold, 15k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Iolite, Topaz, Tourmaline, 10k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Tourmaline, Blue Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Diamond, White Diamond, Pink Diamond, Eme...
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Yellow Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Emerald, 14k Gold,...
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Tourmaline, Blue Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Morganite, Tourmaline, Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Iolite, Opal, Tourmaline, Fire Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Tourmaline, Blue Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Tourmaline, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Indicolite
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Rubelite, Tourmaline, Rose Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Garnet, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Congolese Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Indicolite
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Amethyst, Sapphire, Tourmaline, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Paraiba, Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, Rhodium
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Indicolite
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Indicolite
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
Early 2000s American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Diamond, Platinum
2010s Greek Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Rhodium
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Morganite, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Peridot, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Jewelry
Green Sapphire, Spinel, Tanzanite, Topaz, Tourmaline, Amethyst, Aquamari...
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 22k Gold
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold