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.
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Silver
1990s Unknown Modern Jewelry
Amethyst, Iolite, Topaz, Tourmaline, 10k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Early 2000s Italian Modern Jewelry
1960s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Early 2000s French Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Emirian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Jewelry
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Rhodium, Silver
Early 2000s Australian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century European Modern Jewelry
Gold Plate
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Pearl, Peridot, Gold Plate, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Go...
Mid-20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Greek Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Kunzite
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Freshwater Pearl, Tanzanite, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Yellow Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s Mexican Vintage Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Kunzite, Pearl, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Modern Jewelry
Garnet, Rhodolite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Jewelry
Gold, Brass, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Quartz, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Jewelry
Citrine
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Multi-gemstone, Tanzanite, 18k Gold, Wh...
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Jewelry
Onyx, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
2010s French Modern Jewelry
Rock Crystal, 24k Gold, Gold Plate, Base Metal, Brass, Gilt Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Jewelry
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Morganite, Platinum
20th Century American Modern Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Jewelry
Tourmaline, Paraiba
Late 20th Century Modern Jewelry
Chalcedony, Quartz, Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Jewelry
Diamond, Tourmaline, Paraiba
2010s American Modern Jewelry
Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Finnish Modern Jewelry
Tanzanite, Silver





