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.
21st Century and Contemporary Kenyan Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet, Tsavorite
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary African Modern Loose Gemstones
Topaz, Blue Topaz
21st Century and Contemporary Cambodian Modern Loose Gemstones
Zircon, Blue Zircon
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Tanzanian Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Beryl
21st Century and Contemporary African Modern Loose Gemstones
Morganite
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Russian Modern Loose Gemstones
Alexandrite
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet, Rhodolite
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Quartz
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Loose Gemstones
Ruby
21st Century and Contemporary Cambodian Modern Loose Gemstones
Zircon, Blue Zircon
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Peridot
21st Century and Contemporary Nigerian Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine
21st Century and Contemporary African Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Modern Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Russian Modern Loose Gemstones
Alexandrite
21st Century and Contemporary Nigerian Modern Loose Gemstones
Morganite
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Topaz
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s American Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Malawian Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Loose Gemstones
Yellow Diamond, Brown Diamond
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Loose Gemstones
Brown Diamond
2010s Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary African Modern Loose Gemstones
Garnet, Rhodolite
2010s Zambian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
2010s American Modern Loose Gemstones
Opal
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Loose Gemstones
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Modern Loose Gemstones
Spinel
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine
2010s Colombian Modern Loose Gemstones
Emerald