Modern Signet Rings
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.
1960s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Malachite, Gold
1970s Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Lebanese Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Modern Signet Rings
Garnet, Rhodolite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s Turkish Modern Signet Rings
Opal, Ruby, Sterling Silver
2010s African Modern Signet Rings
Blue Sapphire, Silver, Mixed Metal, Sterling Silver, Platinum
2010s Turkish Modern Signet Rings
Opal, 14k Gold
2010s Asian Modern Signet Rings
Ruby
2010s Turkish Modern Signet Rings
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 14k Gold
1990s British Modern Signet Rings
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Tourmaline, 18k Gold
1980s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Yellow Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Carnelian, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Signet Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
White Diamond, Sapphire, Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Lapis Lazuli, Gold
1970s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Onyx, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, 18k Gold
2010s Colombian Modern Signet Rings
Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s American Vintage Modern Signet Rings
1910s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Gold
2010s Italian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Tourmaline, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
1950s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Gold
20th Century British Modern Signet Rings
Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Quartz, Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Signet Rings
Aquamarine, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1950s American Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Agate, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Sri Lankan Modern Signet Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Gold
1940s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Gold
1960s Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Carnelian, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
1930s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Turkish Modern Signet Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
1990s British Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Signet Rings
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s African Modern Signet Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Platinum, Sterling Silver
2010s African Modern Signet Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Platinum, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Brown Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s British Modern Signet Rings
Sapphire, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
1930s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Chalcedony, 14k Gold
2010s North American Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, Onyx, 14k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Onyx, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Signet Rings
Citrine, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Gold, 15k Gold, Rose Gold
1960s British Vintage Modern Signet Rings
Gold