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.
Mid-20th Century Modern Jewelry
Silver, Enamel
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Jewelry
Silver
1990s British Modern Jewelry
9k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Sapphire
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Black Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold, Stainless Steel
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
1950s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
15th Century and Earlier Swiss Antique Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Rose Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Yellow Gold, Steel
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Pink Sapphire, Topaz, Blue Topaz, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Citrine, Diamond, Gold, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Jewelry
Onyx, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
White Gold, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Jewelry
White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Jewelry
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold
2010s Russian Modern Jewelry
Garnet
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Sri Lankan Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Rose Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Bolivian Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Citrine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century French Modern Jewelry
18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Tanzanite, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold
1990s Swiss Modern Jewelry
Gold, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Jewelry
Chrysoberyl, 18k Gold