Modern Signet Rings
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.
20th Century American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Rose Gold, White Gold, 9k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Gold
20th Century Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Emerald, Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Signet Rings
Sapphire, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Pink Diamond, Brow...
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
1960s French Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Carnelian, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Brown Diamond, Black Diamond, White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow G...
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Brown Diamond, Black Diamond, White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow G...
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 9k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Signet Rings
Ruby, White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Black Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Tsavorite, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Black Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Black Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Tsavorite, Brown Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Black Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Signet Rings
Lapis Lazuli, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White G...
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Blue Topaz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century British Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Signet Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Platinum
1940s Hong Kong Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Jade, 14k Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
20th Century Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Late 20th Century British Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold