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 Dutch Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Jade, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Rose Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Onyx, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Opal, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Tiger's Eye, Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Russian Modern Jewelry
Garnet
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Opal, 18k Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Jewelry
Spinel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Tanzanian Modern Jewelry
Garnet
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Sapphire
2010s Irish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s French Modern Jewelry
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Onyx, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Russian Modern Jewelry
Garnet
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Tanzanite, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold