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.
1990s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Coral, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Coral, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Onyx, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century French Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century French Modern Jewelry
1970s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1990s German Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Gold Plate
1960s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Onyx, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Silver Plate
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Jewelry
Jade, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Fire Opal, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Coral, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Enamel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Danish Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
20th Century German Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Pearl
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Star Sapphire, Black Star, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s European Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century English Modern Jewelry
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century European Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Late 20th Century French Modern Jewelry
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
1990s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Spinel, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold