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Piece #20 of 100:

These two-inch door knockers are signed Kenneth Lane. On the clip of the earring, the “Kenneth” is above the “Lane” with a copyright symbol between them, which means these are from 1960s or 1970s. Kenneth Jay Lane later made a similar pair of earrings (a bit smaller) with rhinestone eyes for Avon, which are signed “KJL for Avon”. The Avon mark was used from 1986 to 1995. Tip of the research hat goes to Julia C. Carroll for that bit of Kenneth J. Lane history. One more piece of KJL trivia. Barbara Bush wore a three-strand Kenneth J. Lane faux pearl necklace to her husband’s presidential inauguration ball in 1989.

The first thing I remembered when I found these in the jewelry box was that we had a real lion door knocker on our front door in the house where I grew up! Mom loves lions because she is a Leo. And there are a lot of lions in her jewelry box, although these are the first I’ve featured on the blog.

The next thing I remembered was that back in my “working girl days” (before I was self-employed) I loved the Kenneth Jay Lane store in South Coast Plaza because I could find fun jewelry that was classy enough to wear with my working girl suits. And I still treasure the few baubles I bought myself there in the seventies. He also had a store in Beverly Hills, which was closer to where Mom lived at the time. I wonder if she bought these there? If only these lions could talk!

Piece #19 of 100:

Adorned with 8mm Swarovski rivoli crystals, these pretty things hang 2 3/4″ from top to bottom. They have a satin-brushed finish, and look like they were molded from clay. The clip-on back is marked Norma Jean. I remember Mom wearing them. And I think they are really pretty. Do I say that about every piece? No. Not really. But these are.

Piece #18 of 100:

These silver toned op-art earrings are fun, fun, fun! Did I mention they were fun? They are two inches across, and each concentric ring moves independently in all directions. When you move your head, these earring wave, creating a true op art sensation. So what is op art, exactly? According to Wikipedia, optical art (or op art for short) is a visual style that hints of optical illusion, creating movement and vibration where there is none.

Oh, and, yes. I do remember Mom wearing these, but have not come up with any photographic evidence!

Piece #17 of 100:

Whenever I come across such a stunning design, I am always disappointed when there is no designer indicated on the piece. These beautiful trinkets are 1 1/4″ across the width of the concentric rhinestones. It’s the silver tone tubes that make this piece deco. Art deco is defined as an art movement of the twenties and thirties, marked by geometric designs and mass production. While googling this, I was surprised to learn that art deco has roots in the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in the 1920′s. The bold lines of of objects buried with the iconic Egyptian king appealed to Americans in the Roaring 20′s … and the look took off. So, I’m on a bit of an Egyptian roll here, starting with the King Tut necklace, followed by the Cleopatra collar necklace, and now these deco earrings.

Piece #16 of 100:

Yum! I am going to have to throw a party (or wrangle an invitation) just to come up with an excuse to wear these beauties. There is something so perfect about them. The crystals have lots of sparkle, and the silver tone angel wings and circles just balance perfectly. These shoulder dusters are 4″ long, and the last circle at the bottom is 1 1/4″ inch across. Each earring has 4 rhinestones in bezels, and the crowning jewel is a 16 mm Swarovski Rivoli bi-cone crystal at the bottom. That’s more than a half an inch across!

Unfortunately the photo doesn’t give you a sense of the size of these dangles. Well, that’s it. I am going out to breakfast with hubby this morning, and I will just have to wear them!

Piece #15 of 100:

This gold tone necklace has an Egyptian princess look to it. I think the look is called a “Cleopatra collar.” And it’s made from a common household item. Just for fun, I’m not going to tell you what it’s made of … I’m going to let you guess by posting a comment below. If you held it in your hand, you’d guess right away. But I’m thinking that if I hadn’t had mentioned it,you would not have realized it there was anything unusual about this necklace at all! I wish I knew the vintage of this beauty, but alas, it’s not talking to me. One last hint. This household item has made a fashion resurgence in the last couple of years.

Piece #14 of 100

For those days when one King Tut just isn’t enough, here’s a gold tone necklace adorned with five! Is this great or what? It looks like a museum shop piece, but I do not know where it came from. Since I’m always asked, I’ll go ahead and tell you.  No, I don’t remember Mom wearing this, but it is SO her!  Very over the top.  I can hardly wait to wear it.

When Shoey and I discovered this in the jewelry box,  we immediately started singing “King Tut.” So, for your viewing pleasure, here he is, Mister “Over the Top” himself, Steve Martin performing “King Tut” in front of a live audience 1979. Just scroll down past the photo of the necklace.