Celebrity Jeweler Neil Lane’s Private Collection Is Headed for the Toledo Museum of Art
The 150 masterpieces include historic examples by Suzanne Belperron, Boucheron, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and more
On October 18, the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) is set to unveil “Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane,” a dazzling new exhibition that covers more than a century of exceptional jewels—and the parade of Hollywood stars who owned or borrowed them. Lane’s passion for his treasures—and the individual histories they carry—was apparent during a recent interview to discuss the exhibition.
“I didn’t put everything in the exhibition; I was trying to be thematic,” he tells Galerie about the process of selecting pieces for the show with co-curators Diane Wright and Emily Stoehrer. A number of jewels had been stashed away in a bank vault for some time: “There was a Cartier sapphire bracelet I hadn’t looked at it in years. And there were jewels from Raymond Templier, one of the most important modernists working in Paris. And one of the intriguing jewels was a bracelet by Lacloche Frères that belonged to Zsa Zsa Gabor that I bought a number of years ago. It’s made with rubies and diamonds, 1930s. It’s fabulous.”
It was Lane who proposed collaborating with the TMA on an exhibition, as the museum has a history of mounting shows devoted to jewelry and other examples of decorative arts. After an initial meeting in Toledo, Wright made a visit to Los Angeles to see the collection in person. “It is extraordinary in its scope and quality,” she says. “I was smitten.”
The show is organized into three location-inspired sections. In “Hollywood: Glamour,” the objects explore how jewelry links generations of performers, from exceptional pieces worn by Jennifer Garner, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Hudson, and Jennifer Lawrence on the red carpet of recent awards show to important suites belonging to the screen sirens of yesteryear, such as Joan Crawford, Merle Oberon, and Hedy Lamar.
Consider, for example, a trio of Art Deco aquamarine and diamond pieces that once belonged to the late actress Mae West, whose treasures feature more prominently in Neil Lane’s collection than those of any other star. “I bought those at a small auction in Los Angeles around 2000, but she died in 1980, way before these jewels came up for sale,” says Lane. “They were from a safety deposit box belonging to a wrestler named Paul Novak who performed with her during her residency in Las Vegas in the 1950s. Jewels were part of her persona. And they come up in all those films she was in. And for me, the aqua set represented the era of who Mae West was in the 1930s.”
Some pieces are not nearly as glamorous but were chosen for their historic significance. One example is the “Bat Necklace” from 1900. “The Art Nouveau period is kind of dark,” says Lane. “You have Sarah Bernhardt, Maurice Ravel, and bats became a huge influence in jewelry. And so with this particular bat, the wings are made of plique-à-jour enamel, which is transparent. So if you hold it up to the light, you can see through it.”
“I always was attracted to diamonds and gemstones, but some pieces, like the bat, just intrigued me,” he adds. As for the TMA’s must-sees, Wright says she would point visitors to two of her favorite “wow” pieces in the exhibition. “There is a stunning citrine necklace and cuff bracelet by Raymond Yard, made about 1939,” says Wright. “It belonged to Joan Crawford and makes quite the statement—even in the black and white photos of her wearing them. I am also enthralled with the delicate rendering of aquatic plants in the Seaweed brooch that is Louis C. Tiffany for Tiffany & Co.”
To further enrich visitors’ understanding of American and European jewelry history, a richly illustrated catalogue, co-published with Rizzoli New York, will accompany the exhibition. Original essays by noted jewelry historians use Lane’s collection to illustrate key artistic movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The exhibition puts glittering visual on Lane’s “journey in jewels”—that is, his personal evolution as a connoisseur, engagement ring designer, and lender to the stars. Its an exemplary walk through the designer’s enduring fascination with antique and vintage jewelry, those significant makers, and the leading ladies who wore their creations so magnificently.
“Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane,” is on view at Toledo Museum of Art through January 18, 2026.