Find the exact piece of k j lane jewelry you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Every item for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using
Gold,
White Gold and
Platinum. Find an antique version now, or shop for 87 vintage or 194 modern creation for a more contemporary example of these cherished accessories. If you’re looking for an item from our selection of k j lane jewelry from a specific time period, our collection is diverse and broad-ranging, and you’ll find at least one that dates back to the 18th Century while another version may have been produced as recently as the 21st Century. Creating a choice in our collection of k j lane jewelry has been a part of the legacy of many jewelers, but those produced by
Neil Lane,
Neil Lane Couture and
Kenneth Jay Lane are consistently popular. While most can agree that any object in our assortment of k j lane jewelry from our collection can easily elevate most outfits, but the choice of a
Diamond version from the 175 available is guaranteed to add a special touch to your ensemble. A
round cut version of this piece has appeal, but there are also
old european cut and
emerald cut versions for sale. When shopping for an option in this array of k j lane jewelry, you’ll find that there are less available pieces for unisex or
men today than there are for
women.
Prices for a piece of k j lane jewelry can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, these accessories begin at $150 and can go as high as $577,500, while this accessory, on average, fetches $3,063.
The father of so-called “fabulous fakes,” Kenneth Jay Lane was a spirited innovator within the jewelry industry, designing elegant and luxurious pieces without the use of real jewels. And while Lane aspired to create classic designs for earrings, bracelets and necklaces intended for everyday wear, his pieces caught the attention of celebrities, royalty and socialites.
From a young age, the Detroit, Michigan-born Lane was a lover of fashion. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Michigan. He pursued a design career in New York City, and a failed start in the art department of Vogue magazine led to a decade of designing shoes for the likes of Delman and Christian Dior.
Lane would occasionally develop shoe designs for friends he had in the fashion world such as Bill Blass and Arnold Scaasi. A show for the latter afforded him the opportunity to beautify shoes with rhinestones and create bangles and earrings to pair with the footwear — he found plastic bracelets at discount variety store and had them embellished by craftspeople at a shoe factory.
A love for costume jewelry design emerged thereafter. Lane created his own collection and admirers such as Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor showered him with praise. A pearl necklace he designed was worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In the early 1960s, ready-to-wear pioneer Hattie Carnegie purchased Lane’s jewelry line. Lane was given the position of design director for Carnegie but he soon changed course, moving instead into a small studio and pursuing his own path.
Lane worked with milk glass, gilded silver hardware, faux coral and other materials, and sold pendant necklaces, dangle earrings and modern bracelets to private customers. He was fond of renowned fine jewelry houses Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels and designers such as Jean Schlumberger, and cited having found inspiration in Egyptian and Indian jewelry over the years as well as Art Deco jewelry. Lane’s designs, which he called “faque” and “junque,” became well-known for their distinctive color combinations and clever characteristics such as embroidery. By the time he purchased a small jewelry factory in Providence, Rhode Island, where his accessories would be made during the 1960s, Lane had secured relationships with top Manhattan boutiques and his work had caught the attention of fashion magazines.
Directed by the filmmaker Gisèle Roman, a 2018 documentary about Lane’s life and work called Fabulously Fake: The Real Life of Kenneth Jay Lane features interviews with legendary fashion designers Carolina Herrera, Tory Burch and Diane von Furstenberg.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Kenneth Jay Lane brooches, rings and other accessories.