Neil Lane Jewelry Exhibition Coming to Toledo Museum of Art

Neil Lane’s personal jewelry collection will be on display later this month at the Toledo Museum of Art. At right is a bow tie brooch in platinum, onyx, coral, jade, lapis lazuli, and diamond by Lucien Hirtz for Boucheron, which debuted at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. (Image credit: Lendon Flanagan)

Toledo, Ohio—Jewelry designer Neil Lane will showcase his private jewelry collection in a new exhibition coming to the Toledo Museum of Art.

“Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane” will feature more than 150 jewels spanning nearly a century of design, from the 19th century through Hollywood’s golden age.

Jewels from iconic designers like Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Boucheron, Suzanne Belperron, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Louis C. Tiffany will be on display.

“Radiance and Reverie invites visitors to reconsider jewelry not simply as adornment but as small works of sculpture,” said Diane Wright, senior curator of glass and contemporary craft at the Toledo Museum of Art.

“The exceptional craftsmanship, design, and materials reflect broader movements in art and society, and Neil Lane’s remarkable collection offers a compelling lens through which to view these shifts.”

Wright is co-curating alongside Emily Stoehrer, the Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan senior curator of jewelry at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The exhibition will be divided into three chapters that explore modern jewelry design.

“Paris: The World Stage” highlights styles seen at world fairs and international exhibitions in the 19th century, like the Boucheron bow tie brooch at top.

Designers at the time were inspired by ancient civilizations, said the museum, crafting jewels that honored Egyptian, Gothic, and Renaissance styles, like scarab pendants, intricate goldwork pieces, and romantic medieval styles.

“New York: An American Jewelry House” focuses on Tiffany & Co., Louis C. Tiffany, and the rise of American design.

There will be 38 pieces from Tiffany & Co., the largest area of concentration in Lane’s collection, said the museum.

This section will explore the evolution of Tiffany & Co., from founder Charles C. Tiffany to his son, Louis C. Tiffany, known for his work at Tiffany Studios, as well as the other designers who helped to define its legacy.

“Hollywood: Glamour” follows the journey of jewels worn by legends like Mae West and Joan Crawford, and those later seen on modern-day red carpets, like on Lady Gaga and Jen

nifer Hudson.

SEE: Jewels from Neil Lane’s Personal Collection

“Neil’s collection tells a sweeping story of taste, glamour, and history through objects that are both beautiful and culturally resonant,” said Stoehrer. “It’s a rare opportunity to see this collection brought together publicly.”

The jewels will be complemented by historic photographs, period costume, and red-carpet footage for a more immersive experience.

The exhibition runs from Oct. 18 to Jan. 18 and the tickets, available here, are $10.

The exhibition is sponsored in part by Kay Jewelers, who has a longstanding partnership with Neil Lane. Its parent company Signet Jewelers is based in Akron, Ohio.

Lane is best known for his engagement ring designs, red carpet styling, and his work on ABC’s “The Bachelor,” providing the couples with engagement rings.

Accompanying the exhibition is a new catalog titled “Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane”

The 320-page illustrated catalog, co-published by the museum and Rizzoli Electa, was edited by co-curators Wright and Stoehrer, and features essays by Marion Fasel, Mayukh Sen, and Claudine Seroussi Bretagne.

The catalog’s essays explore important artistic movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, illustrated through Lane’s collection, as well as American and European jewelry history.

It will also dive into the Hollywood provenance of select jewels and Lane’s role as a jewelry lender to the stars, documented through red carpet images and publicity photos.

An interview with Lane will delve into his evolution as a jewelry designer through the years.

The catalog retails for $75 and is available for purchase here.