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 French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Carnelian, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
White Gold
1920s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Gold, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
1990s Modern Jewelry
Vermeil
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Silver, Sterling Silver
1950s Vintage Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, White Gold, Stainless Steel
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Danish Modern Jewelry
1950s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, Yellow Gold, Platinum, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Peridot, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Early 2000s North American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Silver
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Turquoise, Citrine, Lapis Lazuli, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, Yellow ...
20th Century French Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Topaz, Blue Topaz, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Caribbean Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Larimar, Apatite, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Ruby, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Steel
1990s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Opal, 14k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Sapphire, Garnet, Emerald, Amethyst, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Agate, Citrine, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Tanzanite, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Garnet, Sapphire, Tanzanite, 14k Gold
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Jewelry
Ruby, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold