The Toledo Museum of Art is hosting an exhibition titled ‘Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane.’ This is the first public display of more than 150 jewelry pieces collected by Neil Lane, a designer known for his work on the television series ‘The Bachelor.’ The exhibition shows the development of jewelry as an art form and cultural object, covering over 150 years of history from Paris, New York, and Hollywood.
The exhibition is located in the museum’s Glass Pavilion and is arranged in three connected circular galleries. The first gallery focuses on Paris in the nineteenth century, displaying jewelry made between the mid-1800s and early 1900s. Pieces by jewelers such as Suzanne Belperron, G. Paulding Farnham, and Lucien Hirtz for brands like Boucheron, Tiffany, and Bulgari are included. Many of these items were shown at international expositions, such as the Exposition Universelle in Paris (1889) and the Great London Exposition (1862).
One piece in the first gallery is the gold and ivory collar ‘Le blé,’ designed in 1905 by Lucien Gaillard. This item is one of Lane’s early acquisitions and reflects the period’s interest in historical revival styles. The gallery also discusses how events like the 1867 diamond discovery in South Africa made precious gems more widely available. A diamond necklace from this time, worn by actress Jennifer Garner at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013, is also on display…