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 American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Turquoise, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Turquoise, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Topaz, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Tanzanite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Citrine, Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Peridot, Topaz, Blu...
Mid-20th Century Hawaiian Modern Jewelry
Coral, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Turquoise, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, White Gold, 10k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 10k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Freshwater Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Spinel...
1940s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold-filled
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Canadian Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
2010s Canadian Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Black Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s English Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Ruby, 18k Gold...
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gol...
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Jewelry
Natural Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Rhodium, Sterling Silver, Stainless St...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold Plate, Brass
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold Plate, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Onyx, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater P...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, White Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold-filled
2010s North American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold Plate, Brass
2010s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Tanzanite, Gold-filled
2010s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl
2010s British Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, ...
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Sapphire, Rose Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Freshwater Pearl, Sterling Silver, Gold Plate