Modern Boxes and Cases
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 American Modern Boxes and Cases
Gold Plate
Early 2000s German Modern Boxes and Cases
Fluorite
2010s Modern Boxes and Cases
20th Century Mexican Modern Boxes and Cases
Sterling Silver
1940s American Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
Ruby, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Modern Boxes and Cases
2010s Hong Kong Modern Boxes and Cases
20th Century American Modern Boxes and Cases
Sterling Silver
20th Century Finnish Modern Boxes and Cases
Silver
1970s British Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
Moonstone, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Boxes and Cases
Sterling Silver
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
Yellow Gold
1810s French Antique Modern Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s German Modern Boxes and Cases
Agate, Chalcedony, Quartz
1920s German Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Early 20th Century American Modern Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Boxes and Cases
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Russian Modern Boxes and Cases
Fluorite
Late 20th Century Modern Boxes and Cases
Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Boxes and Cases
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Russian Antique Modern Boxes and Cases
Silver
20th Century Unknown Modern Boxes and Cases
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Modern Boxes and Cases
Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century American Modern Boxes and Cases
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Modern Boxes and Cases
Palladium
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Boxes and Cases
Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
1890s French Antique Modern Boxes and Cases
Base Metal, Copper
1960s French Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Boxes and Cases
1950s Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s Russian Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
Blue Sapphire, Silver
1950s Russian Vintage Modern Boxes and Cases
14k Gold, Silver
20th Century Mexican Modern Boxes and Cases
Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Philippine Modern Boxes and Cases
Silver, Sterling Silver