Covers aren’t the only things that can make a magazine.

When it’s done right, advertising can add color, flash, and life to a publication filled with strong content. Most the of the time, an ad is the first thing the reader sees when he or she ventures past the front cover, so having an effective ad in the front of the book can be as instrumental in keeping a reader around as a thoughtful editorial feature.  

For more than 140 years, advertisers have found ways to make their clients’ jewelry appear spectacular, elegant, and breathtaking in the pages of JCK magazine. As I found with our covers, there were also a couple that made me stop and ask, “What were they thinking?”

Here is a collection of 50 of the most memorable jewelry ads from the 1800s to the present day. Please enjoy and let us know your favorites!

JCK