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.
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Late 20th Century British Modern Jewelry
9k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
1990s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
1990s Modern Jewelry
Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Chrysophrase, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1970s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
1990s American Modern Jewelry
1990s Italian Modern Jewelry
Blue Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century North American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modern Jewelry
Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
1960s Austrian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Onyx, 18k Gold
20th Century French Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Jade, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Steel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s American Modern Jewelry
Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Gold
1910s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Steel
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1990s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold
1990s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1970s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Kunzite, Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
1970s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Agate, Gold, 9k Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
1980s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Peridot, White Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Carnelian, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold