Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
1970s American Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Black Diamond, 18k Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Steel, 18k Gold
1980s Unknown Artist Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
1990s Swiss Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
20th Century Artist Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Artisan Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Amethyst, Other, Multi-gemstone, Rhodium, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, S...
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Diamond, Tanzanite, Gold, 18k Gold, Rhodium
1990s American Artisan Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Tourmaline, Quartz, Peridot, Multi-gemstone, Sterling Silver, 18k Gold, ...
2010s Italian Artisan Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
20th Century American Kenneth Jay Lane Watches
Kenneth Jay Lane watches for sale on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The impeccable costume jewelry by designer Kenneth Jay Lane, known as the “Master of Faking It,” has been made in the USA and abroad. During Lane’s early years, much of his domestic-made jewelry was produced in New York and Rhode Island, while other designs were made in factories in Asia. Some of Lane’s imported jewelry pieces are stamped with Thailand or China as the country of origin. Shop a selection of Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.