Jackie Kennedy's Jewelry

Jackie has been both touted and taunted in the media for her excessive clothing and meticulous attention to both jewelry and fashion. She was always, always a trendsetter, from the hats to the hand bags and most importantly the jewelry.

A lot of Jackie’s jewelry pieces were gifts given to her from JFK, Onassis, or gifts of state.  But some of the jewelry Jackie commissioned and designed herself.  She had an amazing style and her jewelry lives on in the replicas created by Camrose and Kross. From watches to rings to bracelets galore!  Their Jacqueline Kennedy Jewelry Collection is exact jewelry in every detail including the weight of the piece - reproduced in faux materials.  Let’s take a look at some of their pieces.

Jacqueline Kennedy had many sets of pearls, but this was the one she wore and enjoyed the most. It is believed that she inherited it from her mother. Jackie was a fan of designer Coco Chanel, who had designed this style of pearls where the three lengths are not uniformly set. The inner string has a larger space than between the two lower strings, so she could pull the lower string up and over the upper string for a more sophisticated look. Chanel also believed the clasp is an integral part of a necklace’s design and should be worn where it could be seen. On this versatile necklace, the three strands will strike off in different turns for a unique look.

A Mother's Day Gift from JFK for the Birth of John F. Kennedy Jr. (November 27, 1960). Along with her Wedding Bracelet, this pin is one of Jackie most prized possessions. The Berry Pin is kept at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, behind bullet-proof glass. Though he was organizing his new Presidential Administration at the time of his son's birth, JFK found the time to go to New York to have this gift made to order for Jackie. The pin was presented to a pleasantly surprised Jackie on January 10, 1961, ten days before he took office. Jackie would sometimes wear the pin, which she now called "My Berry Pin", with the berries up and sometimes with the berries down (as you see above). She was so proud of the pin, and its special charm, that she wore the pin on her first trip abroad as First Lady, to Canada in May 1961. This pin, though on permanent exhibition at the JFK Library, is still owned by Caroline.

This ring was a stunning gift from JFK to Jackie to commemorate their 10th wedding anniversary in 1963.  John had the ring made to order by Van Cleef and Arpels in NYC. It has ten stones, one for each year of marriage, and emerald for the Emerald Isle, Ireland. The stones were set in a continuous circle as an "eternity ring". Jackie wore it next to her wedding band. The original ring was modified in 1972-73 when Jackie had two stones removed and made into two solitaire rings for Caroline and John Jr. John Jr. gave his ring to Carolyn Bessette on the night of his wedding. Caroline now owns all three rings.

In August of 1963, Jack and Jackie lost their child Patrick. By all accounts, the experience drew the couple much closer, spending much more private time with each other and with their children. As they healed from this great loss, John became optimistic about the future, particularly about his life spent with Jacqueline.  In October, John decided to order an extra special gift for Jackie for the upcoming Christmas holidays. He visited Van Cleef and Arpels in New York and had them make a large kunzite ring with twenty diamonds. He knew Jackie loved pink, and he felt that the stone's dynamic color captured his new optimistic spirit. The twenty diamonds symbolized the first ten Christmases they had celebrated together, and the next ten he was looking forward to sharing with her.  The ring was delivered to the White House in early November. John wrote Jackie a letter and gave it and the ring to his secretary for safe keeping. He would never get the chance to deliver it, as he was assassinated in Dallas only weeks later. After his death, Mrs. Lincoln delivered what Jackie knew would be the last gift from her beloved husband. Although Jackie was in mourning for a year and wore almost no jewelry, she kept this ring with her at all times.

This is just a very small sampling of the Jacqueline Kennedy Jewelry Collection by Camrose and Kross.  They have earrings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, watches, handbags and scarves and even Jackie's iconic sunglasses.  You can purchase these pieces, which come with a certificate of authenticity, through their website or you can find them at such places as QVC or The Kennedy Center.  I, personally, do not own any of the collection but do have many pieces on my wish list.  It's all just so beautiful, it's hard to choose just one!

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