Dates of Operation: 1968 – Today

Brief History:

Anne Klein was born Hannah Gdofsky in 1923. She married clothing manufacturer Ben Klein in 1948. Together they launched a clothing line called Junior Sophisticates specializing in designs for young women. Anne was head designer until 1960 when she divorced Ben Klein and married Matthew Rubinstein.

Together Anne and Rubinstein founded Anne Klein & Co. in 1968 specializing in designer quality fashions. Klein is credited with creating a line of interchangeable separates. This philosophy included accessories and jewelry.

Anne Klein died at age 50 of breast cancer in 1974. The company was sold to Takihyo, a Japanese Textile company who hired Anne’s assistant Donna Karan as creative director. Karen then hired Louis Dell’Olio and together they created new designs following Klein’s original business model.

Author’s Note: I remember clearly the first time I sorted through a rack of Anne Klein’s designer pieces. The materials were beautiful and the options for each group were varied and fun. I purchased a pair of blue pants with bands of subtle, silky wide stripes in the fabric. The colors blended so the nearly invisible stripes added luxury and texture to the pants. I had the choice of several tops, a jacket, or a long, belted sweater in the same shade of blue – not quite navy but lovely. I opted for the long sweater which fit into my lifestyle as a teacher. At the time, I didn’t even look at the jewelry! I wonder which pieces I might have found had I just looked.

In 1985, Donna Karan left to start her own line. Dell’Olio continued as creative director with Anne Klein, Inc. until 1993. It is under Dell’Olio’s direction that the Anne Klein jewelry collectors prefer today was made.

Anne Klein jewelry in the mid 1980s – early 1990s included mostly gold plated, chunky cast pieces similar in design to the Givenchy and 1980s Monet pieces from that era. In the 1980s Anne Klein jewelry was made by Swank, Inc. at their Attleboro, MA. manufacturing plant. In 2001 Swank, Inc. sold the jewelry business to K & M Associates, L.P. and soon after jewelry production was moved overseas. The Attleboro plant closed in 2002.

Other companies involved in creating designs for Klein include Erwin Pearl, Accessocraft and at least one design by Hattie Carnegie.

Dell’Olio stayed with Anne Klein, Inc. until the company decided in 1993 to discontinue the designer division of Anne Klein in favor of a less expensive line aimed for a younger clientele.

Signatures:

The lion logo is Anne Klein’s astrological sign and represents the power and strength Anne wanted for her customers.

Some designs, especially earrings, are marked ONLY with a large C nestled in the distinctive cross-hatching back design.

Gallery:

The jewelry designs selected for the Anne Klein collections under the creative direction of Donna Karan, and Louis Dell’Olio are consistent in quality and aesthetic. The pieces coordinate with the mid 1980s – 1990s fashions and exhibit the designer quality Anne Klein set in motion.

Anne Klein jewelry made after that time must be carefully selected. Some of it is wonderful; however, the changes in direction in the mid-1990s, and the large number of creative directors, added a lack of continuity to Anne Klein jewelry. This is where understanding design and design quality is essential for a collector. There are wonderful, signed Anne Klein jewelry designs available in the collectible marketplace today waiting to be found and adopted into costume jewelry collections.

Shape is a huge identifying trait of jewelry made at this time for Anne Klein and other brands including Givenchy and 1980s era Monet. In this era, designers modified traditional shapes by rounding the edges, stacking them in unusual patterns, or interfering with the symmetry of the shape. In this design, the main links are three-dimensional circles that have indentations in the top.

Another trait of jewelry Anne Klein jewelry at this time (and other brands) is the color of the gold plating. The texture can be smooth or matte, but the color has the distinctive look of 24K gold.

The modern altering of basic shapes coupled with the distinctive plating color are two strong indicators the jewelry dates to this era.

Brand Trait: Many of the Anne Klein necklaces have toggle clasps.

The textured backs have cross hash marks similar to those found on Givenchy jewelry from the same era.

This necklace is marked with the Anne Klein lion logo on one side and ANNE KLEIN in caps on the other.

The colorful 15 1/2″ collar shown below has a 2″ extension. It is an iconic, distinctive Anne Klein design. It was made in all black enamel, or the colorful enamel set shown below. [This design is also shown in Chapter One but deserves repeating here.]

Each link is a square comprised of four irregularly shaped frames decorated with four colors of resin. The frames are matte gold and include textured beading around the edges giving the design a “modern Etruscan” detail.

There are three color palettes in this colorful design arranged in groups of four: Orange, Blue, Green, Pink; Blue, Green, Purple, Orange; and the combination shown below, Pink, Purple, Blue, Red.

The 2 3/4″ clip earrings feature orange and red resin inserts. The designer considered how these earrings will look when worn. The two dangling elements are in open-baked frames, so the pretty orange color of the inserts shows from the front and back. They coordinate beautifully with the set and are clearly part of the design group. However, this is a flexible design concept so other earring designs were made to go with this collar.

The set shown below is another example of an Anne Klein mid 1980s – 1990s necklace and earrings set.

The necklace and earrings are fully symmetrical. It is a cast design with strong, sturdy links. It appears to be a modernist floral design with soft curves and smooth edges.

Like many, many jewelry designs from this era the shape is key to the modern look of the set. The traditional heart-shape has been modified by adding a dimensional, smooth center element so it looks like a leaf.

The back is textured but not with the cross-hatch marks of the earlier examples. Could this be a newer piece dating to approximately 2000 when Swank, Inc. was no longer making Anne Klein jewelry?

The value of the mid 1980s – 1990s era Anne Klein jewelry is starting to rise; however, nice pieces from that distinctive design era are still available today. Look for great design, great quality AND perhaps pieces with the hash-mark backs likely made by Swank, Inc.