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.
Early 17th Century American Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum, Enamel, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Turkish Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
15th Century and Earlier Turkish Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tanzanite, 14k Gold
15th Century and Earlier Turkish Antique Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold
1680s European Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold
1770s French Antique Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
15th Century and Earlier American Antique Modern Jewelry
Moonstone, Ruby, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Thai Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
15th Century and Earlier Thai Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Thai Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
1670s French Antique Modern Jewelry
Agate, Yellow Gold
18th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 18th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, Diamond, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
18th Century North American Antique Modern Jewelry
14k Gold, Rose Gold
1770s Swiss Antique Modern Jewelry
17th Century Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold
17th Century Antique Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
17th Century Antique Modern Jewelry
Gold
17th Century Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold
16th Century Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 9k Gold
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1770s Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1770s Italian Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold, 18k Gold
15th Century and Earlier Emirian Antique Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Garnet, 18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
1970s European Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1980s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Enamel, Gold, 18k Gold
18th Century European Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1670s Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1750s Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Palladium
15th Century and Earlier Italian Antique Modern Jewelry
Silver, Copper
1660s Italian Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1670s French Antique Modern Jewelry
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
1750s Unknown Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Palladium
1770s French Antique Modern Jewelry
1670s French Antique Modern Jewelry
22k Gold, Yellow Gold