The TCB and TLC necklaces Elvis gave to friends and to his entourage were originally designed according to rumor, by he and Priscilla. On August the 14th, 1971, I flew to Las Vegas with Dr. Nick on a Lear jet that Elvis had sent for us. During the visit, Elvis gave me the project of making the TCB and TLC necklaces for him and we discussed some slight changes to the necklace.
The point was too long and sharp, and the letters weren’t arranged exactly like he wanted. So we did a slight redesign of the necklace, and from then on I made all the necklaces for Elvis.  Although there are many who claim to have the original molds and claim to have made necklaces for Elvis, they simply are fakes. (Click here to see many original invoices, ledger cards and a signed statement by Mr. Vernon Presley to prove that my necklaces are the only authentic replicas available.)

Very few people got TCB necklaces. Only close members of his entourage, or very close friends. The TLC necklace was a little different. The TLC necklace was given to girls (tender loving care) and there were lots of girls. The band and members of the entourage had girlfriends and they all had necklaces too. Whenever Elvis met a young lady, he would usually give her a necklace. Some of the guys in the group would have diamonds set in their necklace. We set diamonds in the lightening bolt and then put little settings on the TCB letters with diamonds. Mr. Arty Newman was the head of the casino at the International Hotel in Las Vegas at that time, and I made his TCB with rubies and diamonds.

During the Christmas season of 1974, Elvis asked me to make a diamond TLC necklace for Linda Thompson. The necklace was larger than the regular size necklace, the lightening bolt was paved with tapered baguette-cut diamonds, the letters were made with 10-point full cut diamonds. The rope chain was heavier than the normal chain that I used. It was totally hand-made and was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry that Elvis ever bought from me. Over the years, I made dozens of TCB and TLC necklaces for Elvis. Many were customized with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, or emeralds.

On January 22, 1977, I delivered Elvis, another diamond TLC necklace. It was made similar to Linda Thompson’s necklace, but because it was hand-made they were not exact copies. This one was for Ginger Alden.

I remember when Elvis gave me my necklace. It was kind of like being knighted.  We were in the suite atop the Hilton in Las Vegas.  He had had a great show and was in a very good mood.  We were all sitting around his suite.  Elvis was sitting on the floor playing with his guitar an he started singing to us.  We all sung along with him and after a while he looked over at me – “Lowell, do you have any TCB Necklaces with you?”  I got one out of my case for him.  “Come over here”, he said “It’s about time you had one of these.  He put the necklace around my neck.  I’ll never forget that moment.

When you got a TCB necklace from Elvis, it meant you were part of his group. Believe me, I know. The necklace opened doors everywhere. Because I was in the jewelry business, I frequented New York City and because I had my TCB necklace, I was always given hotel upgrades. Also, American Airlines continually upgraded me to first class because they knew I was with Elvis. It was absolutely amazing the power that little necklace had back in the ‘70s.