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 American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1990s American Modern Jewelry
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Tsavorite, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1960s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tiger's Eye, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Tsavorite, Tourmaline, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Early 2000s American Modern Jewelry
Zircon, Vermeil
1960s European Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Tanzanite, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tanzanite, 18k Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Tanzanite, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby, Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Tsavorite, Tourmaline, Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Opal, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
Amber, Pearl, Jasper, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Chinese Modern Jewelry
Jade, Silver
1960s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Rock Crystal, Diamond, Crystal, Platinum, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald
2010s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum