Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1990s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Vermeil
1990s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1970s American Art Deco Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1980s German Baroque Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
Mid-20th Century American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Crystal, Rhodium
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1970s American Anglo-Indian Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gilt Metal
People Also Browsed
1950s Unknown Modern Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1990s Thai Art Deco Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Jade, Coral, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Enamel
1980s French Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
2010s Thai Contemporary Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Amethyst, Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modernist Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1960s American Modern Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
20th Century Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
20th Century Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Pearl
Mid-20th Century Unknown Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1990s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Silver Plate
20th Century Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s German Art Nouveau Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1970s American Modern Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Recent Sales
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s American Art Deco Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s Art Deco Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s American Art Deco Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1980s American Art Nouveau Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1980s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1970s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1980s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1990s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1970s American Art Deco Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
Late 20th Century American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1950s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Metal
1980s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1980s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1970s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gilt Metal
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
1990s Unknown Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Arts and Crafts Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Base Metal
20th Century Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Gold Plate
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Crystal, Base Metal
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
1960s American Contemporary Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry
Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Kenneth J Lane Vintage Costume Jewelry?
Kenneth Jay Lane for sale on 1stDibs
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.