Kenneth Jay Lane's Iconic Jewelry for QVC = KJL

TEXT, VIVIAN GALTIER KELLY-VAN ZUTPHEN
Images, from www.QVC.com

"Don't be afraid of costume. Six strands of real pearls is showing off, but simulated jewelry -- it's fashion."*
-KENNETH JAY LANE -
One of my prized possessions is my KENNETH J LANE Serpent Bracelet. Its rich bronze scales are accented with topaz and amber rhinestones in a coiled gold head. The larger topazes are clearly the eyes and the snake - although only made of stones and metal, manages to look chicly arrogant. It invariably gets remarked-on whenever I wear it.
The piece is distinctly a Kenneth Jane Lane. While it's not made of 18K gold or precious stones, it's achieved collectible status. I flipped when I received the KLJ "Neptune Ring" from QVC, and so did the women and teens I showed it to. While it's less of a "collectible" than my snake bracelet, I love it just as much.

Famous women have loved and collected Kenny's pieces. Just a few icons include: Jackie Onassis, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Vreeland. Kenny had a handle on the fashion business as he'd previously been the art director at Vogue. He also had some retail know-how after collaborating on shoe collections for Delman and Dior. He also designed jeweled shoes for Arnold Scaasi, and jeweled buttons, earrings and bracelets to match the shoes. Creating his own jewelry line was the next logical step to take.
Many of his most famous pieces are available at the PLAZA SHOPS, located on the ground floor of NYC's legendary Plaza Hotel.
You will be surprised that many of the very collectible brooches, rings, and bracelets ring in at the register for under $300. If you're in the under $150 price range, my Neptune Ring is all of $53.50!
For you coffee table book lovers, Shamelessly, Jewelry from Kenneth Jay Lane and Kenneth J Lane: Faking It, are both must-haves to add to the collection. Both are available on www.amazon.com


So whether you want some Kenneth J. Lane, also available at www.net-a-porter.com or some KJL from QVC, you can be assured that there's plenty of his designs to choose from.

ENDNOTES
The KJL quote is from an interview that appeared in www.accessorysource.blogspot.com