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 Dutch Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Carnelian, Citrine, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Mozambican Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Paraiba
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Platinum
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Aquamarine, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 14k Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Blue Topaz, Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Kenyan Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Tsavorite
1960s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Opal, Tsavorite, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century French Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Ruby, White Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Jade, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 10k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Moonstone, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Palladium, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
White Gold
2010s Australian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Rose Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, White Gold, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold