Kenneth Lane Pearl
20th Century Choker Necklaces
Pearl
Vintage 1960s American Beaded Necklaces
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1980s American Brooches
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1980s American Modern Drop Necklaces
Pearl, Gold Plate
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1980s American More Jewelry
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1960s American Drop Earrings
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1980s American Art Deco Beaded Necklaces
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
1990s Cuff Bracelets
Vintage 1980s American Brooches
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1980s Brooches
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Pearl, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Vintage 1960s American Modernist Brooches
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Modernist Brooches
Crystal, Pearl
21st Century and Contemporary American Multi-Strand Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Brooches
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Dangle Earrings
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modernist Dangle Earrings
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Dangle Earrings
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Link Bracelets
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Link Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Crystal, Gold Plate
1990s American Necklace Enhancers
1990s American Cuff Bracelets
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s American Modern Multi-Strand Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Chain Necklaces
Crystal
1990s American Drop Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
Vintage 1970s American Baroque Revival Stud Earrings
2010s American Modern Link Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
Vintage 1980s American Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Wrist Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Wrist Watches
1990s American Link Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Crystal
Vintage 1980s American Baroque Chain Necklaces
Late 20th Century American Modernist Brooches
Crystal, Gold Plate, Enamel
1990s Bangles
Vintage 1960s American Beaded Necklaces
Vintage 1960s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Vintage 1960s American Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
Mid-20th Century American Dangle Earrings
Crystal, Rhodium
Vintage 1960s American Drop Necklaces
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1970s American Anglo-Indian Bangles
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Choker Necklaces
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Oil
Vintage 1960s Hungarian Paintings
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Crystal, Gold Plate
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, Enamel, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Crystal, Enamel, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s American Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Dangle Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Clip-on Earrings
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Kenneth Lane Pearl For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Kenneth Lane Pearl?
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.