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.
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Gold
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Sapphire, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
1970s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Gold
2010s French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Rose Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Iolite, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Jewelry
Blue Topaz, Diamond, Topaz, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Ruby, Silver
2010s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swazi Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Yellow Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, White Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum, Enamel
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Citrine, 9k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
1910s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Diamond, Enamel, Silver, Yellow Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Carnelian, 18k Gold, Gold
Early 2000s German Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, Brown Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Palladium
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s German Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Stainless Steel, Steel, Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold