Kenneth Lane Enamel
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Enamel
20th Century Hoop Earrings
Enamel
Vintage 1970s American Modern Clamper Bracelets
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Brooches
Gold Plate, Enamel
Late 20th Century Collectible Jewelry
Plastic
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
Late 20th Century American Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate, Enamel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Bangles
Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s American Artisan Charm Bracelets
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Brooches
Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s Brooches
Vintage 1980s American Pendant Necklaces
Vintage 1980s American Baroque Chain Necklaces
Vintage 1980s American Artisan Brooches
Vintage 1980s American Baroque Revival Chain Bracelets
Late 20th Century American Modernist Brooches
Crystal, Gold Plate, Enamel
1990s American Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Cuff Bracelets
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Crystal, Gold Plate
2010s American Modern Bangles
Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
1990s American Retro Brooches
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
1990s Modernist Brooches
2010s American Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modernist Dangle Earrings
Crystal, Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s American Baroque Brooches
1990s American Artisan Clip-on Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary American Retro Cocktail Rings
Crystal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Choker Necklaces
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Pearl, Yellow Gold, Gold Plate, 22k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
2010s Modernist Brooches
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Crystal, Gold Plate
1990s American Cuff Bracelets
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Brooches
Zircon, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bracelets
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Cuff Bracelets
Crystal, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modernist Cuff Bracelets
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Crystal, Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s American Clamper Bracelets
Vintage 1980s Bangles
Base Metal
Vintage 1980s American Modern Choker Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Clamper Bracelets
1970s Corsages
21st Century and Contemporary American Clamper Bracelets
2010s American Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
Gold Plate, Yellow Gold, Base Metal, Gilt Metal
Vintage 1980s Brooches
21st Century and Contemporary American Cuff Bracelets
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Necklaces
Vintage 1980s American Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
20th Century American Cuff Bracelets
Vintage 1960s Clamper Bracelets
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Kenneth Lane Enamel For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Kenneth Lane Enamel?
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.