Bachelor Nation’s go-to ring designer has revealed the joyous aftermath of Gerry Turner’s proposal to Theresa Nist – as the mud-slinging between the former couple continues to dominate headlines.
Devoted fans are well-acquainted with Neil Lane, the franchise’s long-time ring designer whose baubles are presented to lovebirds getting engaged on the Bachelor.
Last week, his ring ended up on the finger of another lucky woman – Peg Munson, who was given a commitment ring by Golden Bachelor Mel Owens.
The former NFL player, 66, is the second Golden Bachelor to appear on the show, coming after Gerry Turner, 74, the retiree who found his forever with securities professional Theresa Nist, 72 – or so he thought.
The couple divorced after just four months of marriage, and while Turner has since found love again with a new partner, he resurrected his split from Nist in his new memoir, Golden Years: What I’ve Learned from Love, Loss, and Reality TV – and things have gotten ugly.
But, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Lane recalled fonder times of the ill-fated couple immediately after they became engaged in Costa Rica – and how their love story gave hope to those seeking to find their match later in life.
Bachelor Nation’s go-to ring designer Neil Lane has revealed just how joyful exes Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist were just after their engagement
The former couple are now in the midst of public mud-slinging after Turner shared his side of their love story in his memoir, Golden Years
Last week, his ring ended up on the hand of Mel Owens’ final rose pick, Peg Munson
Munson was given a commitment ring by the former NFL pro on the season finale of The Golden Bachelor
‘I see him now and then,’ he told Daily Mail on Wednesday, November 12. ‘When I met them, Theresa and them, they were joyful and happy. I did the ring with him in Costa Rica, he [has] never been happier. I filmed the wedding bands afterwards at my house with them, they were never happier.’
Lane, a legendary jeweler, is generally used to seeing people at their highest of highs: ‘I’m always meeting people when they’re at the happiest and they’re hopeful and they’ve found love, and their lives have changed, and they’re excited.’
While he was unable to comment on anything other than their early romance, he stressed he thought the ill-fated couple were ‘remarkable’ together.
‘I wish they would have stayed together,’ he said. ‘It’s not easy finding love at certain ages. And I think they were a remarkable couple,’ he said.
‘I see they were a remarkable couple, and they gave so much hope and inspiration for a whole new audience for The Bachelor,’ he explained.
‘It opened up the fact that you can be 60 or whatever, and be dating and be in love and be excited.’
Turner proposed to Nist with a Neil Lane ring, and when asked if she returned the dazzler to him or ABC, Lane said the accessory is no longer in his ‘orbit.’
‘Once I do the ring… and time goes by, I don’t see that ring again. I don’t even know what happens to the ring. You know, my part in that is over. I mean, things don’t work out then, yes, you know, right away.
‘But this has been quite some time. They got married, that ring is not in my orbit anymore.’
The drama between the two has exploded in recent weeks in the lead-up to Turner’s memoir, with the former Golden Bachelor alleging he felt ‘trapped’ prior to walking down the aisle and Nist claiming he threatened to kill and dismember her, though wasn’t clear if he was joking (Turner laughed at the allegation and called it ‘preposterous’).
One ring which recently left Lane’s orbit was the 18 karat cushion cut diamond ring Owens presented Munson, his final rose choice, on the finale of The Golden Bachelor.
‘There’s no better way to celebrate a Golden Bachelor couple then with an 18 kt, hand crafted golden ring, centrally set with a cushion cut diamond and two triangle cut diamonds on the sides,’ Lane told Daily Mail over email of the dazzler. ‘These two triangle diamonds represent the separate lives that they each have had so far. The cushion cut diamond celebrates their happiness, their unity, and shared love. The approximate total weight of all diamonds is 3.5cts. Signed and designed by Neil Lane.’
Bachelor Nation isn’t the only celebrity to have worn Neil Lane jewelry, with none other than Taylor Swift also dripping in his jewelry at the 54th annual Grammy Awards.
Turner and Nist were married for just three months before they announced their split
Bachelor Nation isn’t the only famous person to have worn Neil Lane’s jewels – so has Taylor Swift
She is now engaged to Travis Kelce, and Lane spoke highly of the couple
Kelce proposed to Swift with a ring by Kindred Lubeck, a bauble Lane praised
Now she is engaged to Travis Kelce, who proposed to her over the summer with a ring by Kindred Lubeck – and one which Lane is a fan of.
‘I think the ring she got was perfect,’ he said. ‘She’s wonderful. She’s wonderful and smart and they’re a great couple. I think the ring was so perfect. It was an anti cushion which gives homage to the historical reference of natural diamonds.
‘The band, they chose a designer that they knew, that wrote inscription in gold. I thought it was just classically modern, wonderful idea to go back in time and get a cushion cut diamond cut in this beautiful old way.
‘Cuts in 19th century were called pillow cuts, so it’s beautiful… He couldn’t have done better. I think his choice was superb, supreme.
‘I think it looks great on her,’ Lane, who recently launched his Neil Lane Desert Diamonds collection with KAY Jewelers, said.
Lane’s rings have been given to couples getting engaged on The Bachelor franchise
Lane has become synonymous with the reality dating show
Bachelor alum Brayden Bowers turned to Neil Lane ring when he proposed to his now-wife Christina Mandrell
The jeweler has been working with Swift since she was early in her career path and spoke highly of her and her future husband, calling him a ‘gentleman.’
‘I’ve worked with her from the beginning when she was just starting out in her career,’ he said. ‘So many times with her stylist and the jewels… Yeah, it was just a lovely experience with her,’ he said, adding she was ‘always gracious.’
Lane, who has met Kelce, added of the NFL player, ‘He’s a gentleman. Lovely couple. I wish them so much success.’
Lane also weighed in on the recent daylight robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where $102 million worth of French crown jewels were stolen from the legendary institution.
Lane also weighed in on the recent robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, where $102 million worth of French crown jewels were stolen in broad daylight
The jeweler called the theft a ‘devastating’ loss for the City of Love
The jeweler called the theft a ‘devastating’ loss for the City of Love.
‘Devastating,’ he said. ‘It’s historically devastating, of course, the people of Paris and everyone to see it, but… they’re not just jewels of royalty.
‘They’re jewels of history, and they’re jewels of inspiration. So historical jewels inspire young designers. I was inspired by the Louvre jewels that I’ve seen over the years.’
The theft also represents a blow for designers who would otherwise find inspiration in the jewelry, Lane said.
‘I think that loss is devastating for the people of France, for the historical reference, but also for new designs to see the way things were made,’ he said, noting items centuries ago were made ‘elegantly, diligently, by hand and crafts people.
‘And so they’re a learning experience too. Museums are a learning experience. Vintage jewels are a learning experience to teach designers today how to grow, how to look… It’s really a terrible loss. And plus, they’re so pretty!’
