Modern Clip-on Earrings
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.
20th Century American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Early 2000s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
20th Century Japanese Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
2010s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Early 2000s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
20th Century Modern Clip-on Earrings
Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Clip-on Earrings
Peridot, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
1980s American Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
1970s American Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate, Enamel
1990s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Silver Plate
20th Century American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
Coral, Onyx, Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
Early 2000s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
1980s French Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
20th Century French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s European Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
20th Century Unknown Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
Turquoise, Blue Topaz, Topaz, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
20th Century Unknown Modern Clip-on Earrings
Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century European Modern Clip-on Earrings
Silver, Mixed Metal
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
Coral, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century German Modern Clip-on Earrings
Crystal, Silver, Gilt Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
Late 20th Century European Modern Clip-on Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, Peridot, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
2010s Dutch Modern Clip-on Earrings
Coral, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Clip-on Earrings
Amethyst, Emerald, 14k Gold
1960s American Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
2010s Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
1980s French Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
Silver Plate, Gilt Metal
1990s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
1960s American Vintage Modern Clip-on Earrings
Early 2000s Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold