Modern Cufflinks
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 Cufflinks
Multi-gemstone, Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
1960s American Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Ruby, 14k Gold
20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 14k Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century English Modern Cufflinks
14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, White Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Chrysoberyl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Amethyst, White Diamond, Black Diamond, White Gold, Rhodium
Late 20th Century French Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Cufflinks
Pink Sapphire, Rhodium, Silver
1970s European Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Yellow Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Ruby, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver, Enamel
1990s American Modern Cufflinks
White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s English Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Early 2000s Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Modern Cufflinks
Gold, Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Cufflinks
Crystal, Diamond, Onyx, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s Norwegian Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Sterling Silver, Enamel, Gilt Metal, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s English Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
1990s English Modern Cufflinks
Onyx, 18k Gold
Late 19th Century Antique Modern Cufflinks
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Quartz, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, White Diamond, Pink Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, P...
2010s English Modern Cufflinks
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Indian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Cufflinks
Tsavorite, Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century French Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century German Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Indian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Silver
20th Century American Modern Cufflinks
Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s Indian Modern Cufflinks
Blue Topaz, 18k Gold
2010s Swiss Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s Indian Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1990s Italian Modern Cufflinks
Carnelian, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cufflinks
Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold
1970s French Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Quartz, Tiger s Eye, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Cufflinks
Rhodium
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold
Early 2000s British Modern Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1980s American Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Enamel, 18k Gold
2010s British Modern Cufflinks
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Rose Gold
1980s Irish Vintage Modern Cufflinks
Gold, 9k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold





