Neil Lane’s Museum Exhibition Is a Love Letter to a Century of Jewelry

By Karen Dybis | November 26, 2025

Neil Lane is a household name for his jewelry designs, especially all those engagement rings on ABC’s The Bachelor franchise, and now he can add another accomplishment to his résumé: a collector whose taste and thoughtfulness in selecting jewelry has earned him a museum exhibition.

The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) is presenting “Radiance and Reverie: Jewels From the Collection of Neil Lane,” an exhibition that shows the designer’s interest in sparkle of all sorts from the last century—from European heritage names like Castellani to the American-made masterworks of Louis Comfort Tiffany to over-the-top favorites of Mae West and other Hollywood stars.

Lane likely is best known as the jeweler who helps The Bachelor couples find their perfect diamond (he’s not responsible for what happens after the show). Outside of those commissions and his styling on the red carpet, the designer has been busy buying some of the best examples of jewelry available.

Jewelry experts and influencers are heading to Toledo (of all places!) to see Lane’s collection up close. The exhibit in TMA’s Pritzker Glass Pavilion opened last month and continues through Jan. 18, 2026. Designers shown include such luminaries as Suzanne Belperron, Jean Fouquet, Raymond Templier, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

I myself recently visited the Lane exhibition. Believe it or not, I cover jewelry from Metro Detroit, so my access to jewelry history is mainly through the Detroit Institute of Arts or great retailers such as Tappers, Ahee, and other independents. Being only an hour away from Belperron originals? You know that road trip had to happen.

“Radiance and Reverie” stands out both for the brilliance of the jewels displayed and how they are arranged and presented. To highlight the historical and cultural context of Lane’s jewelry, co-curators Diane Wright and Emily Stoehrer brought in objects from TMA’s glass collection and Hollywood garments and accessories from the Los Angeles fashion museum ASU FIDM. The results are dazzling.

The exhibit is composed of three sections. The first, called “Paris: The World Stage,” features jewelry seen at world’s fairs and international exhibitions. Here you enjoy Egyptian, Gothic, and Renaissance Revival styles, with scarab pendants and intricate goldwork.

Melillo Necklace Neil lane — *Ruvo gold necklace by Giacinto Melillo, circa 1870–1880 (34.29 by 6.03 cm), from the Collection of Neil Lane*

The second section, “New York: An American Jewelry House,” houses most of Lane’s collection, with 38 pieces from Tiffany & Co. Through the jewelry you witness the transition from store founder Charles L. Tiffany to his son Louis Comfort Tiffany, the company’s first design director. You also get to espy the brilliance of the people who worked with Louis at the Tiffany Studios.

The final section is “Hollywood: Glamour,” offering jewelry worn by film, stage, and music celebrities. Looking at the gowns, you realize how petite the Old Hollywood actresses were—and how big their gemstones were. It makes the larger-than-life world of stars like West and Joan Crawford more understandable when you can see how they dressed and accessorized.

My favorite pieces in the Lane show included a bow tie brooch by Lucien Hirtz for Boucheron featuring coral, jade, lapis lazuli, onyx, and diamonds, which was exhibited at the 1925 Paris Expo (Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes).

Another favorite was the Lucien Janvier bat necklace, dating to around 1900 and crafted from silver, gold, pearl, and plique-à-jour enamel. Its pendant looks like something straight out of a horror movie. You might think it will fly right out of the case and into your hair—that’s how real it seems.

The TMA exhibition has an accompanying catalog, co-published by Lane with Rizzoli New York. Lane held a special event during NYC Jewelry Week earlier this month for the book, in which he tells his collecting story and shares red-carpet images of his gem-studded creations from modern times.

Top: Bow tie brooch by Lucien Hirtz (1864–1928) for Boucheron in platinum with onyx, coral, jade, lapis lazuli, and diamonds (6.03 by 12.06 cm), from the Collection of Neil Lane (Jewelry photographs © Lendon Flanagan)