Modernism is a collective term for a completely new style of art in western society during the first half of the twentieth century. The name modernism references a cultural movement that opposed the established ideas of art as it was known before the Second World War although, in painting, modernism had already set in at the end of the 19th century when Impressionist painters united themselves in Paris and established the ‘Salon des Refusés’ after their work had been banned from the official Parisian ‘Salon’.

In jewelry manufacturing, Modernism is represented by the so-called Studio Artists whose jewelry is often described as ‘wearable (abstract) art’ than jewelry. One well-known studio artist who produced jewelry is Alexander Calder.