Modern Loose Gemstones
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 Russian Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Loose Gemstones
Topaz
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Kunzite
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Kunzite
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Loose Gemstones
Ruby
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet, Mandarin Garnet, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, P...
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline, Indicolite
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald, Beryl, Aquamarine, Platinum, Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold...
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Congolese Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Tanzanian Modern Loose Gemstones
Tanzanite
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, P...
21st Century and Contemporary Ethiopian Modern Loose Gemstones
Opal, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Peridot
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline, Indicolite, Emerald, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow...
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Mozambican Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline, Emerald, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Malawian Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Kunzite
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine, Beryl, Emerald, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold...
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine
21st Century and Contemporary Tajikistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Topaz, Blue Topaz
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Peridot
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine
2010s Russian Modern Loose Gemstones
Alexandrite
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Ruby
21st Century and Contemporary Mozambican Modern Loose Gemstones
Beryl, Green Beryl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Morganite
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Topaz, Imperial Topaz
2010s Thai Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Cambodian Modern Loose Gemstones
Zircon, Blue Zircon
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald





