Sunday, January 23, 2011

Kenneth Jay Lane Vintage Jewelry Guide


Kenneth Jay Lane (1963-present)
- started out as a shoe designer working for Delman Shoes and later Christian Dior Shoes
- began designing earrings (1963) for which he immediately started receiving orders
- Saks Fifth Avenue sold out of his designs during the first day of sale
- designed shoes during the day and jewelry at night and on the weekends until it was profitable to become a full time business
- Kenneth Lane Jewelry is well known for being large, daring, flashy, imaginative, and fun. It is also known to be worn by the "rich and famous"
- His "pearls" have been worn by royalty

Marks Used:
Kenneth Lane
Kenneth J. Lane
K.J.L.
K.J.L. For Avon
K.J.L. For Laguana
The exact dates of when these marks were used is unclear. Personal research indicates that earlier pieces were marked K.J.L however this mark has been seen on recent pieces although it is accompanied by the words Tiawan or China.

Additional and Suggested References:
Kenneth Jay Lane: Faking It, Kenneth Jay Lane, Harrice Simons Miller, John Bigelow Taylor (Photographer), ISBN 0-81093-579-1, Published October 1996, Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Costume Jewelry: The Great Pretenders (Schiffer Book for Collectors) Third Edition With Revised Price Guide, Lyngerda Kelley, Nancy Schiffer, ISBN 0-7643-0613-8, Published April 1996, Revised 1998, Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.

Fifty Years of Collectible Fashion Jewelry 1925-1975, Lillian Baker, ISBN 0-89145-319-9, Published April 1986, Published by Collector Books.

Popular Jewelry of the 60s, 70s & 80s (Schiffer Book for Collectors), Roseann Ettinger, ISBN 0-88740-998-9, Published March 1997, Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.


          



         

8 comments:

  1. I love your pictures of vintage and antique jewelry... its wonderful!

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  2. Love this. Very interesting

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  3. The colors matching seems a bit usual,but the general design is nice.

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  4. Love the blog!
    I write a jewelry blog as well, and your articles are so informative.
    Thanks for great writing and great photos.

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  5. Good information on this designer.

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  6. It's quite an innovated crossover between jewelry and pearls. They both represent rich and famous for sure.

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  7. I don't think the pearl will be a good match with the jewelry.Especially in Asian country.But still thanks so much for your sharing.

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