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.
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Ruby, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Purple Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Blue Diamond
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Opal, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Yellow Sapphire, Turquoise, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Yellow Sapphire, Tanzanite, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire , 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Pink Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Pearl, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Peridot, Diamond, Enamel, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Ye...
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Yellow Sapphire, Sapphire, Garnet, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
2010s Greek Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Enamel
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire , 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Amethyst, Rose Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Opal, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Apatite, Paraiba, Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Opal, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Amethyst, Garnet, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold
