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Magnificent Kenneth J. Lane Maltese Cross Brooch NWS 8-1482 ~ In the early 1960's, when Kenneth J. Lane boldly decided to strike off on his own, to design what would become one of the greatest costume jewelry collections in American fashion history, every woman in America reaped the benefits. In fact, his jewelry quickly became famous world-wide, and the long list of his customers includes the rich and famous, like Sophia Loren, Barbara Bush, Jackie Kennedy and the Duchess of Windsor. ~ This magnificent Kenneth J. Lane brooch is covered in clear, crystal navettes. There are over 60 of these sparkling, faceted, faux diamonds (WOW!). ~ The base metal has been thickly plated in rhodium, which sets off the stones with an incredible dazzle of brilliance. ~ Each stone has been bezel-set which means that, throughout the entire design, there are no prongs to crowd or cover the stones. Now look closely and appreciate the genius of Lane's design: he has gently, ever-so-slightly, overlapped some of the stones, so that they tumble, one over another, like petals in a rose. ~ Each stone has an open-backed setting, with foil (2nd photo shows the back). The foil is 100% perfect and immaculate, with absolutely no deterioration. ~ The last photo above shows the brooch from the side. You can see that it does not lie lifelessly flat! The four arms of the Maltese cross are gently curved inwards, lending a cushion-like appearance. And each arm of the cross is also arching so that the sides of the arm are lower than the center of the arm. This lovely, 3-dimensional aspect provides a graceful appearance to counter the brooch's impressive size. It measures 3.25" across! ~ At the center of the Maltese cross is a large, emerald-cut crystal that has also been bezel set. Spectacular!
Price = $139.00 b4, k-p Who was Kenneth J. Lane? |
