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 Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Blue Topaz, Blue Sapphire, Ruby, Peridot, Diamond, Amethyst,...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold, Mixed Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Jewelry
Opal, Pearl, Tourmaline, Fire Opal, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Asian Modern Jewelry
Agate, Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Tourmali...
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
Rubelite, Tourmaline, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s European Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Rubelite, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary African Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Tourmaline, Tsavorite, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Brazilian Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Spinel, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Fire Opal, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Paraiba, Tourmaline, Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Topaz, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Rhodolite, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Paraiba, Tourmaline, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Chalcedony, Topaz, Tourmaline, Blue Topaz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Paraiba, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tanzanite, Diamond, Tourmaline, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Onyx, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Malachite, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Enamel, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Platinum