Kenneth Jay Lane Signed KJL MALTESE CROSS Pin Brooch Pendant Estate Find
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Width: 3 in (76.2 mm)Length: 3 in (76.2 mm)
- Style:Modernist
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:Late 20th Century
- Date of Manufacture:estate
- Condition:excellent vintage.
- Seller Location:Montreal, CA
- Reference Number:
Kenneth Jay Lane
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Plattsburgh, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Large Oval Lapis Lazuli w/Pyrite Gold Pendant BroochLocated in Montreal, QCSimply Beautiful! Large Oval Lapis Lazuli Gold Pendant Brooch. Securely centered by a Large Oval Cabochon Laps w/Pyrite. Hand-crafted 18K Yel...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brooches
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, Pyrite, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Vintage Year of the Tiger Estate Bone Agate Brooch Pin PendantLocated in Montreal, QCUnique Vintage Brooch Pendant depicting a Tiger encased in a Sterling Silver surround, suspending an Agate drop. Surround marked on reverse: STE...Category
Late 20th Century Modernist Brooches
MaterialsAgate, Sterling Silver
- Native American Carolyn Pollack Kokopelli Sterling Silver Pendant Brooch PinLocated in Montreal, QCRare and Whimsical Designer Carolyn Pollack Santa Kokopelli Modernist Sterling Silver Pendant Brooch Pin. Signed and marked 925. Appr...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modernist Brooches
MaterialsSterling Silver
- North American Navajo Sterling Silver and Turquoise Bear Brooch Pin PendantLocated in Montreal, QCAwesome Large 90’s era Navajo Sterling Silver Spirit/Heartline Bear Brooch Pendant. The Silversmith has created a Sterling Silver Heartline Bear with a Lightning bolt arrow and Horseshoe/Naja styled Silver overlay and engraving across the Pendant. and Hand set Turquoise The artist includes sunrise stamp work between the Bear’s legs. Beautifully Hand crafted! The actual bear stands...Category
Late 20th Century Mexican Modernist Brooches
MaterialsTurquoise, Sterling Silver
- KJL Faux Jade Dragon Fish Brooch Pin and Faux Tahitian Pearl NecklaceBy Coach HouseLocated in Montreal, QCDivine Kenneth J Lane Etched Oriental Faux Jade Dragon and Luminous Faux Silver Tahitian Pearls, Brooch Pendant Necklace. Approx. length of neckl...Category
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Choker Necklaces
- Rare Vintage LUNCH AT THE RITZ Designer Enamel 18th Hole Golf Brooch PinBy Lunch at the RitzLocated in Montreal, QCSimply Awesome! Large Enamel Multi Charm 18th Hole Golf Themed Designer Brooch signed: LUNCH AT THE RITZ. This “Golf Enthusiast” Brooch epitomizes Vintage charm with personality! Mea...Category
Late 20th Century American Modernist Brooches
MaterialsEnamel
- Antique Cameo Pin and Pendant with Heart Bezel in 14k Yellow GoldLocated in Chicago, ILThis antique cameo pin and pendant with heart bezel is made of 14K yellow gold. Measurements are 2" H x 3/4" W.Category
Late 20th Century Art Nouveau Brooches
Materials14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Art Deco Diamonds Brooch and PendantLocated in Palermo, ITArt Deco' Diamonds 14 ct Platinum Brooch with chain for pendant. long 90cm. central diamonds 0,80 eachCategory
Vintage 1920s Italian Art Deco Brooches
MaterialsDiamond
- Diamonds and Precious Stones Peacock Brooch 18 Karat GoldLocated in Palermo, ITDiamonds and Precious Stones Peacock Brooch in yellow and withe gold 18kt diamonds ct 2,20,Italian handcrafted.1990 misurement:2cm x 8 cm Australian pea...Category
1990s Italian Modern Brooches
MaterialsEmerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
- Art Nouveau Diamond Opal Pendant/Brooch, circa 1900Located in London, GB18ct gold & silver set Art Nouveau Diamond Opal Pendant/Brooch dated circa 1900 Five round opals with an articulated pear shaped opal drop, very well matched with lively play of colours and iridescence in reds, greens, blues and gold. Set in 18 carat yellow gold claw collets Two main transitional cut (old mine) diamonds 0.70ct. Mix of old mine and rose cut diamonds in an 18 carat yellow gold with “silver Set” channel setting , approx 1 ct total. G/H/I, VS2-SI2. Total diamond weight: approx 1.7carats Setting diamonds in gold with a thin layer of silver, “silver set”, was a technique used in the Georgian/Victorian/Art Nouveau period as white coloured gold and platinum were not yet available. A very thin layer of silver was applied to the gold, on which the diamonds were set, to show them off to their best advantage (as the yellow would reflect and distort the white colour of the diamonds). The Art Nouveau period was a short lived but worldwide movement which reached its peak at the end of the 19th Century and the first decade of the 20th Century. It had its roots in the Pre Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movements in Britain in the 1860’s. Artists, such as William Morris, took their inspiration from the flora and fauna of nature and rejected the mass industrialisation and mechanisation of the Victorian age. Art Nouveau continued with this theme and has a distinctive appearance with soft, curved shapes and lines and often depicted natural designs such as flowers, birds and the female form. Before the Art Nouveau period, the emphasis had been to design pieces with an emphasis on gem stones, diamonds, rubies emeralds etc. However, during the Art Nouveau period, jewellers adopted the idea of using other semi–precious stones “from nature” such as agate, garnet opal, moonstone, aquamarine and experimented with a wide variety of new techniques e.g. enamelling. The “New Art” style became a worldwide movement encompassing all disciplines of the arts, and world class artists as far afield as Gaudi with his “modernisme” architecture in Spain, Louis Comfort Tiffany in New York with objects, Galle Glass in France and the Liberty & Co Archibald Knox designs in Britain, Jugendstil in Northern Europe and Faberge in Russia. The movement flared brightly but briefly and by 1910 it was already going out of style to be replaced by Art Deco. In fitted period box. Detachable 18ct brooch...Category
Antique Early 1900s British Art Nouveau Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsWhite Diamond, Opal, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
- Gold-Mounted Brooch in Gold, Enamel and StonesLocated in Paris, FROval gold brooch with an enamel medallion featuring two female figures in a landscape. Each of them holds an attribute related to mythology. Openwork mounting in a floral motif is highlighted with gem stone. Some wears on the enamel. Gold mark: eagle head 18K...Category
Antique 1860s French Neoclassical Brooches
MaterialsEmerald, Cultured Pearl, Gold, Enamel
- Rainbow Sapphires and Diamonds Gold Leaf Pendant Made in ItalyBy Gilberto CassolaLocated in Valenza, AL18Kt White Gold Leaf Pendant with Oval Shaped Natural Rainbow Sapphires, Round and Baguette Diamonds. One of a Kind Piece. Handmade in our Atelier in Valenza Italy. This Item can be ...Category
2010s Italian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsGreen Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapp...