KJL Marella Agnelli Necklace
Marella Agnelli, married to Gianni Agnelli 1954-2003, loved her Kenneth Jay Lane necklaces which she wore in multiples attached via the golden twist-clasp. I think she wears four (or six?) of the necklaces in the photo. The design reminds me of ruby, emerald and pearl precious stone necklaces treasured by wealthy women of the world. This necklace is a thick twist of many strands of beautiful transparent glass beads accented with faux pearls. The necklace is 20 inches long.
I heard Signora Agnelli was out of sorts that Kenny added this lovely piece to his Couture line.
Her late husband Gianni was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he oversaw 4.4% of Italy’s GNP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce, and 16.5% of its industrial investments in research. Nicknamed l’Avvocato (the lawyer) because he graduated in law (though he was never admitted to the Order of Lawyers), Agnelli represented the most important figure in Italian economy, the symbol of capitalism during the second half of 20th century, and regarded by many as the true “king of Italy”. A cultivated man of keen intelligence and a peculiar sense of humor, he was perhaps the most famous Italian abroad, forming deep relationships with international bankers and politicians (some of them became close friends, like Henry Kissinger). Probably pals with Berlusconi at some point.
He left his extraordinary painting collections to the town of Turin in 2002. Agnelli didn’t allow his marriage to Marella Caracciolo – a half-American, half-Neapolitan aristocrat who made a small but significant name as a furniture designer – to keep him from having affairs with socialite Pamela Harriman, film star Anita Ekberg, among numerous other ladies (his pals included Rita Hayworth and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, although there is no proof he was intimate with them). Agnelli and Marella remained married until his death.
In the photo of Marella with Gianni, she shows how the necklaces steal the show. All she needed was a simple white silk dress and a rose-pink shawl. The KJL necklaces (probably 4 or 5 of them) created her elegant look.