Vintage JBK Camrose & Kross Jewelry

In 1962, on Valentine's Day, a CBS News correspondent named Charles Collingswood interviewed First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy about her recent historical restoration of the White House—her highly praised renovation of the home's famous Rose Garden would not be complete until the end of that year. Interest in Mrs. Kennedy was so great that 80 million people tuned in to the special, which aired on all three major television networks. In comparison, viewership for either of the 2020 presidential conventions struggled to attract viewers in the low-20-million range. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, interest in Jackie, as the country affectionately knew her, remained strong and would continue that way until her untimely death at the age of 64 in 1994. Among other things, people were attracted to Mrs. Kennedy's sense of style, as exemplified by her choice of jewelry. Too be sure, Jackie wore Tiffany, but she was also a fan of Kenneth Jay Lane, as comfortable with costume jewelry as the fine stuff. All of which may help explain why Camrose & Kross introduced a JBK line (the First Lady's initials) in 1986. The goal was to produce faithful, costume-jewelry reproductions of some of the most famous examples of fine jewelry worn by the First Lady. Camrose & Kross made JBK earrings, brooches, bracelets, and necklaces. Today, these pieces are fairly easy to come by and quite affordable, which means that just about anyone can own a piece of Camelot.