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.
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Silver, Sterling Silver
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Rhodium
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
1940s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Brass
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold, Gold Plate, Base Metal, Gilt Metal
1940s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
14k Gold
1940s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Base Metal, Brass
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
1940s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Silver, Sterling Silver
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1940s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Jade, 14k Gold
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
14k Gold
1940s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
14k Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Sterling Silver
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Mixed Metal
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Gold, Vermeil, Yellow Gold
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Ruby, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Gilt Metal, Yellow Gold
1940s European Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Rhodium
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold-filled
1940s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Topaz, 14k Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate, Mixed Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold
1940s British Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Pearl, Sapphire, Mixed Metal
1940s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
1940s English Vintage Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
1940s English Vintage Modern Jewelry
9k Gold
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal, Yellow Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Silver
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Base Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Crystal, Other
1940s English Vintage Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Mixed Metal