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.
Mid-20th Century Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
2010s French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Onyx, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Rubelite, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Gold, 9k Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mid-20th Century German Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Sapphire
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Japanese Modern Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Chrysoberyl, Diamond, Cat’s Eye, Platinum
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cambodian Modern Jewelry
Zircon, Blue Zircon
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Enamel
1990s Unknown Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold
1980s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Titanium
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
20th Century French Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Jewelry
Emerald
2010s French Modern Jewelry
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Ruby, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Quartz, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold