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.
21st Century and Contemporary Zambian Modern Jewelry
Emerald
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Emerald, Sapphire, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Blue Topaz, Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary African Modern Jewelry
Moonstone
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Jewelry
Onyx, Tsavorite, Yellow Gold
2010s Japanese Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Silver, Sterling Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
Emerald, White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1960s Vintage Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, White Gold, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Stainless Steel
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s North American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Blue Topaz, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Sterling Silver, 14k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, Emerald, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 10k Gold, White Gold
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Jewelry
Kunzite, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Jade, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 10k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Pink Diamond, Platinum, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Citrine, Onyx, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Paraiba, 18k Gold
2010s Russian Modern Jewelry
Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Yellow Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Amethyst, 14k Gold
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