1970s Kenneth Jay Lane Gold Tone and White Pendant Necklace
View Similar Items
1970s Kenneth Jay Lane Gold Tone and White Pendant Necklace
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Width: 3.25 in (82.55 mm)Length: 19 in (482.6 mm)
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU43031419263
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.
- Fine Vintage Emerald and Diamond NecklaceLocated in London, GBA fine Vintage emerald and diamond necklace, the fourteen octagonal-cut emeralds estimated to weigh 17 carats in total, the ten la...Category
Mid-20th Century British Link Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Emerald
- 0.50 Carat Natural Diamond 5 Hearts Necklace G SI 14K White Gold ChainLocated in New York, NY0.50 Carat Natural Diamond Heart Necklace 14K White Gold G SI 18 inches chain 100% Natural Diamonds, Not Enhanced in any way Round Cut Diamond Necklace 0.50CT G-H SI 14K White ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
- Rose Gold "Love" NecklaceLocated in Great Neck, NYEveryone needs a little "Love" in their life and from loved ones. This popular necklace is made of 49 VS2, G color round diamonds totaling 0.16 carat...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Chain Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
- Modern Pink Sapphire Diamond 18 Karat Rose Gold Necklace for HerBy NatkinaLocated in Montreux, CHNECKLACE 18K Rose Gold Diamond 1.22 Cts/91 Pcs PS 3.88 Cts/7 Pcs With a heritage of ancient fine Swiss jewelry traditions, NATKINA is a Geneva based jewellery brand, which creates...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Pink Sapphire, Rose Gold
$5,620 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - Chopard Diamond Gold Heart PendantBy ChopardLocated in New York, NYAn elegant diamond heart pendant by Chopard in 18k gold; designed as a stylized heart comprised of 5 articulated sections, alternating between pave-set diamond, and smooth gold, with...Category
1990s Swiss More Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold
- GIA Certified 2.01 Carat Heart Shape Diamond Pendant NecklaceBy Issac NussbaumLocated in New York, NYExquisite diamond heart shape pendant necklace. This dazzling heart shape diamond weighing 2.01 carat is graded by the GIA H in color VS2 clarity. This diamond Is special and unique ...Category
2010s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold