Neil Lane Brilliant Engagement Ring

For more than a decade, Los Angeles–based fine jeweler Neil Lane has found enormous brand recognition through an unlikely source: a reality dating television show. Yes, Lane is the “official jeweler” of The Bachelor, ABC’s wildly successful dating competition show as well as its spin-offs, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise and more. The jeweler is a familiar face toward the close of each season, when he counsels romantic prospects to select the most appropriate diamonds to present during their televised proposals, which are seen by millions of viewers per episode.

Long before Lane was a fixture on one of America’s most-watched TV franchises, however, he was captivated with jewelry. The Brooklyn-born creative left New York City in his early 20s for Paris, where he embarked on painting and drawing before intensely studying jewelry design, gaining expertise in 19th-century gold and later antique engagement rings.

In the late 1980s, Lane settled in Los Angeles, where he opened a space in an antiques mall on Beverly Boulevard and found success outfitting celebrities for red-carpet appearances and events. (Ellen DeGeneres, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Hudson have all worn his creations.)

Lane is a vintage jewelry expert and his curated collection of period jewelry is known internationally. His work is characterized by this longtime fascination with historic jewels — a collector of antique pieces, he is often informed by the styles of the past, incorporating Edwardian and Art Deco silhouettes and old European cuts. The result is a prolific output that runs the stylistic — and cost — gamut, from understated solitaire rings to intricate floral motifs.

Lane is best known for his engagement rings (his wide range in this genre is likely what makes him an appealing candidate to present ring options to a slew of television paramours year after year), but he also produces rings, earrings, bracelets, brooches and more through his Neil Lane Couture label.

Find an exquisite collection of Neil Lane jewelry on 1stDibs.

Antique and vintage rings have long held a special place in the hearts of fine jewelry lovers all over the world.

No matter their origin or specific characteristics, rings are timeless, versatile accessories. They’ve carried deep meaning since at least the Middle Ages, when diamond rings symbolized strength and other kinds of rings were worn to signify romantic feelings or to denote an affiliation with a religious order. Rings have also forever been emblematic of eternity.

Over time, rings have frequently taken the form of serpents, which have long been associated with eternal life, health and renewal. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has become famous for its widely loved Serpenti motif, for example, and its Serpenti ring, like the other accessories in the collection, began as an homage to jewelry of the Roman and Hellenistic eras. The serpent is now a popular motif in fine jewelry. Jewelry devotees have long pined for rings adorned with reptiles, thanks to antique Victorian rings — well, specifically, Queen Victoria’s illustrious engagement ring, which took the form of a gold snake set with rubies, diamonds and an emerald (her birthstone). Designs for Victorian-era engagement rings often featured repoussé work and chasing, in which patterns are hammered into the metal.

Engagement rings, which are reliably intimidating to shop for, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. On 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings. 

The most collectible antique engagement rings and vintage engagement rings are those from the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. Named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who in succession ruled England starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign), antique Georgian rings, be they engagement rings or otherwise, are also coveted by collectors. Pearls, along with colored gemstones like garnets, rubies and sapphires, were widely used in Georgian jewelry. The late-1700s paste jewelry was a predecessor to what we now call fashion or costume jewelry. 

The Art Nouveau movement (1880–1910) brought with it rings inspired by the natural world. Antique Art Nouveau rings might feature depictions of winged insects and fauna as well as women, who were simultaneously eroticized and romanticized, frequently with long flowing hair. Art Deco jewelry, on the other hand, which originated during the 1920s and ’30s, is by and large “white jewelry.” White metals, primarily platinum, were favored over yellow gold in the design of antique Art Deco rings and other accessories as well as geometric motifs, with women drawn to the era’s dazzling cocktail rings in particular.

Whether you’re hunting down a chunky classic for a Prohibition-themed cocktail party or seeking a clean contemporary design to complement your casual ensemble, find an exquisite collection of antique, new and vintage rings on 1stDibs.