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.
1950s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
2010s German Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Silver
2010s American Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
1950s Dutch Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Platinum
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Gold, 9k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Jewelry
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Jewelry
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Rubelite, Tourmaline
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Rose Gold
2010s Zambian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s African Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Sapphire, Topaz, Blue Topaz, White Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Sapphire, Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
2010s Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Spinel, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Tanzanian Modern Jewelry
Tanzanite
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
2010s Zambian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Go...
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Rubelite, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
1990s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver