Modern Beaded Necklaces
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 European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Turquoise, 14k Gold
2010s Modern Beaded Necklaces
Beryl, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl
Early 2000s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, South Sea Pearl, Pearl, 18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Hong Kong Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century German Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, 9k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Black Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Citrine, Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, 18k Gold
2010s Belgian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Labradorite, Silver
2010s Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Turquoise, Chrysophrase, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Rhodium
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Turquoise, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Black Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Ethiopian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Fire Opal, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Multi-gemstone, Opal, Turquoise, Fire Opal, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold
1990s French Modern Beaded Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Chinese Modern Beaded Necklaces
Jade, 14k Gold
1950s Chinese Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, Pink Sapphire, Tanzanite, Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold
1990s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Gold
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Coral, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s African Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Onyx, 18k Gold
2010s South American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Citrine, Sapphire, Druzy, 18k Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, Rose Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Oceanic Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, 14k Gold
2010s Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s African Modern Beaded Necklaces
Opal, Gold
2010s European Modern Beaded Necklaces
Emerald, Turquoise, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Gold
2010s British Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Beaded Necklaces
2010s American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Amazonite
2010s Canadian Modern Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Vermeil, Sterling Silver
2010s Dutch Modern Beaded Necklaces
Hematite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swazi Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold