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.
1890s Belgian Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
1840s Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
1860s Central American Antique Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
1890s French Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Chrysoberyl, 14k Gold, Enamel, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
19th Century American Antique Modern Jewelry
18k Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century French Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
1880s American Antique Modern Jewelry
22k Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Garnet, Kunzite, Tsavorite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century European Antique Modern Jewelry
Silver
Early 19th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Amethyst, 14k Gold, White Gold
1880s American Antique Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate, Brass
Early 19th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 19th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 19th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 19th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 19th Century Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Jade, White Gold, 14k Gold
19th Century American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
Late 19th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 19th Century American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Quartz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
1880s English Antique Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1810s German Antique Modern Jewelry
Gold, Berlin Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver, Gold
1880s British Indian Ocean Territory Antique Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
19th Century Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Early 19th Century American Antique Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, Diamond, White Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 19th Century American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Quartz, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
1870s Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold