Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
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.
1970s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Retro Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
2010s Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
1970s Egyptian Revival Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
2010s Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
22k Gold, Gold Plate
1960s Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s Modernist Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s Baroque Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
2010s Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
22k Gold, Gold Plate
1970s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century Artisan Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Base Metal, Gilt Metal
1990s Baroque Revival Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1960s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s Aesthetic Movement Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1990s Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1970s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1970s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1990s Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1970s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s Art Deco Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Enamel, Rhodium, Base Metal
1980s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1960s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
1990s Art Deco Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal
Kenneth Jay Lane pendant necklaces for sale on 1stDibs
Creators Similar to Kenneth Jay Lane
Recent Sales
1970s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1990s Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1970s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s Art Deco Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Enamel, Rhodium, Base Metal
1980s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1960s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
1990s Art Deco Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal
You May Also Like
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Drop Necklaces
Early 2000s Baroque Revival Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Tourmaline, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Artisan Drop Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Nouveau Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Peridot, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
2010s Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Artisan Pendant Necklaces
White Diamond, Black Diamond, Brown Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Coral, White Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Chain Necklaces
Onyx, Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sterling Silver, 18k Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Nouveau Pendant Necklaces
Peridot, Diamond, White Diamond, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Classical Greek Chain Necklaces
White Diamond, Yellow Gold, Bronze
Early 2000s Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold