Just as the science of geometry can be traced back through the ages, so too is geometric jewelry a timeless classic. This season, jewelers around the globe are revisiting geometry, offering some modern angles on the age-old favorite.

In contrast to the extravagance of the recent economic boom, the clean and simple lines of geometric jewelry reflect a starker view of the current world economy. Jewelry this year favors sharp, angular designs that are restrained and balanced.

The square and the rectangle are favorite motifs for earrings, cufflinks, and necklaces. Sometimes obvious, at times more subtle, the shapes seemed to be everywhere at the spring shows.

Designers like Aaron Basha, for example, used emerald-cut diamonds lined up in a grid-like pattern in a stunning new cocktail ring, while other manufacturers took a new look at the diamond line bracelet, using princess-cut stones.

Among the design-leading Italians, meanwhile, both Pasquale Bruni and Torrini favored checkerboard patterns. Even designers with a penchant for organic floral designs—like Carlo Barberis—integrated geometry. In one example, delicate flowers were arrayed in rows reminiscent of Hollywood Squares.