Jewels don’t necessarily have to be in 24K gold and real diamonds to be precious and amazing, we all know that. But more than 50 years ago, when Kenneth Jay Lane started crafting his one-of-a-kind pieces he was presumably the only man in the US to think that a plastic bangle with bright, non-precious stones could rapidly turn into a jewelry masterpiece. After all, “a fabulous fake” is how Mr. Lane liked to define himself too!
A Detroit-native obsessed with fashion since he was a boy and a bon vivant from boyhood, Lane once took an after school job only to be able to afford a camel coat he fell in love with. When he could finally buy it, he quit the job, obviously. Such a passion brought him to New York, where he started pouring creativity as a shoe designer. Here, after decorating a shoe with glittery stones for the umpteenth time, it finally hit him: he wanted to be a jewelry maker.
Lane’s bold color combinations and eclectic inspirations ranged from the wonders of Indian maharajas to the opulence of old European crown jewels. He created his pieces with very simple materials but exquisite taste so that they could easily be “worn any time of the year, by any woman”. In no time this wish came true as his eye catching product gained favor from noblewomen and First Ladies to QVC couch aficionados alike.
Over the years the famed jeweler’s creations have become a cult collectible and synonym with the best made faux jewels in the business. Some of these you’ll see in our collection are early 2000’s re-editions based on original designs from the 1960s. For example take the famous necklace made for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis from an original Van Cleef & Arpels because she didn’t have heart to wear the real thing every day or Lane’s signature animal head bangles and larger than life earrings. With this and more, our stash of KJL shiny resins and sparkling stones will guarantee you’ll never go unnoticed or low-key!
– Livia Satriano
