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.
Late 20th Century American Modernist Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gilt Metal
1980s German Baroque Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s American Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s American Artisan Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s American Artisan Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s North American Artisan Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s American Artisan Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
2010s American Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
22k Gold, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1970s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Retro Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
2010s American Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
1980s American Baroque Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Crystal, Gold Plate
1990s American Baroque Revival Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s American Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Late 20th Century Unknown Artisan Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Base Metal, Gilt Metal
2010s Unknown Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Retro Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Agate, Coral, Diamond, Emerald, Onyx, 9k Gold, Silver
1970s Retro Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Classical Greek Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Quartz, 18k Gold, Bronze
2010s American Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Artisan Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Emerald, Opal, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Aventurine, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Italian Classical Greek Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Citrine, Garnet, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century English Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 9k Gold
20th Century French Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Retro Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Coral, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
1980s American Artisan Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s American Modernist Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1960s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1970s American Modern Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1970s American Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1990s American Modern Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
1980s American Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Enamel, Rhodium, Base Metal
1960s American Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
1970s American Egyptian Revival Vintage Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Kenneth Jay Lane Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
Kenneth Jay Lane pendant necklaces for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Kenneth Jay Lane
- 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.