Only Your Jeweler Knows for Sure

By Wendy Cole

Only a few years ago, wearers of costume jewelry attracted sneers from fashion setters, who considered the plastic or glass baubles to be as chintzy as they were gaudy. But now imitation sapphires, rubies and diamonds have found both new stature and a new name. So-called faux (French for false) jewelry is being sported by the likes of Liz Taylor and Jackie Onassis. "It's the best of both worlds -- very theatrical but also very classy," says Actress Raquel Welch, who has been seen wearing a smoke-and-mauve faux necklace. "And it's not so expensive that you have to worry. In fact, it's sort of like catnip. You just keep going back for more."

Faux jewelry's popularity with the stars has helped make it a hot item among women of more modest means who seek the head-turning glamour of a big, glittering gem. U.S. costume-jewelry sales were an estimated $800 million last year, up at least 10% from 1984. When sales from the all-important Christmas rush are tallied, this year is expected to come out even better.

While fake baubles have now become highly fashionable, they have been around for centuries. The first false diamonds, sculpted from crystal, appeared in the 1600s in France. In Britain, Prince Albert's death in 1861 prompted a grieving Queen Victoria to proclaim that only black jewelry would be considered proper, making black glass jewels temporarily popular among aristocrats. French Designer Coco Chanel made a splash by wearing rhinestones and faux pearls during the Roaring Twenties.

Retailers say the current rage largely amounts to a desire to have fun. Notes the manager of a Manhattan costume-jewelry boutique that will sell an estimated $500,000 in faux adornments this year: "There's so much pressure on people today. They need to add a sense of humor to their wardrobes." But imitation-jewelry fans also have practical reasons for their newfound passion. "If you travel with your good jewelry, you're going to get knocked over the head," observes Ann Mahony, a West Coast businesswoman, who recalls that she used to pin gems inside her lingerie before becoming a faux devotee. "Even now that I can afford the real thing, I still buy costume jewelry."

The undisputed king of faux jewels is Designer Kenneth Jay Lane, whose styles have made the fakes almost as appealing as the genuine items. Says Lane, who charges anywhere from $16 for lion's-head earrings to $600 for a belt studded with "rubies" and "emeralds": "Every woman wants to be a Cinderella when she puts on jewels. Faux jewelry is like glass slippers. She can look like she's going to the ball even if she's not."

% Lane began selling imitation jewels in 1963, but his business has dramatically taken off in the past few years. Since 1983 his chain of stores has expanded from four to eleven branches, including shops from Beverly Hills and New York City to London and Paris. His sales will reach $25 million this year, up nearly 20% from 1985. Lane, 54, says he hopes to open a dozen more shops around the U.S. within three years.

A group of younger faux designers, who sell much of their jewelry in department stores, is also rising fast. Sales of Wendy Gell's ornate baubles, which cost from $25 to $5,000, are up 40% this year. Some of her best-known designs feature thousands of small rhinestones clustered around a crystal centerpiece. Jay Feinberg's simple and sleek Austrian-crystal jewelry, priced from $20 to $500, is popular at such upscale outlets as Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. While many faux pieces are original designs (Lane's big sellers this season are animals, bows and flowers), some are direct copies of the real glitter sold by such elite names in the jewelry trade as Bulgari and Cartier. Says Lane: "Most people I copy see it as a compliment. Let's face it. You're nobody if I haven't knocked you off yet."

With reporting by Dennis Wyss/San Francisco