The Toledo Museum of Art is bringing the sparkle of Hollywood to Northwest Ohio with its stunning new exhibition "Radiance & Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane," running through January 18, 2026. While many people may not recognize Neil Lane's name, anyone who has watched a red carpet event has likely seen his exquisite jewelry adorning celebrities from Lady Gaga to Jennifer Lawrence. This marks the first time Lane's complete collection has been displayed as a comprehensive exhibition, making it a true world premiere.

Neil Lane is not only a renowned jewelry designer but also a passionate collector of 19th and 20th-century jewelry pieces crafted in Egyptian, Gothic, and Renaissance Revival styles. His journey as a collector began during his youth when he made his first trip to Paris as a young man. There, he became captivated by the intricate details and precious gems of antique jewelry he discovered in vintage shops, purchasing what would become the first piece of his extensive collection.

The exhibition opens with that very first piece Lane acquired, along with other remarkable items he gathered over the years, many of which had previously been showcased at world's fairs and international exhibitions. "He spent his life as a jewelry dealer, and yet there were things that he came across over the course of his career that he fell in love with and couldn't bear to part with, and that's what you're seeing here," explained co-curator Emily Stoehrer from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "We like to say that each of these jewels has at least two stories, sometimes more. The story of its own history, being shown at world's fairs, being owned by famous former owners, but then also Neil's history and the rediscovery of the objects as he found them."

Stoehrer emphasized the exceptional quality of Lane's collection, stating, "This is probably one of the best collections of jewelry in the country and arguably the world." The exhibition is thoughtfully divided into three distinct sections, each telling a different chapter of jewelry history and Lane's collecting journey.

The second and largest portion of the exhibition focuses on pieces from Tiffany & Co., tracing the evolution of the prestigious company through studies of natural world influences in both design and materials. Exhibit co-curator Diane Wright of the Toledo Museum of Art explained the profound impact of flora and fauna on jewelry created by artists from the Tiffany studio. "You can't underestimate the influence of the natural world on Louis Tiffany and what was coming out of his studio," Wright said. "You can see things like Tiffany lamps that were very much trying to represent flowers or something like the orchid brooch that is trying to be very realistic, not only in terms of the color, but the actual accuracy of the plant specimens themselves."

The final room of the exhibition is dedicated to Hollywood glamour, featuring vintage pieces originally designed for legendary film stars including Ginger Rogers, Mae West, and Joan Crawford. This section represents a significant shift in Lane's career that began in the 1980s. "In the 1980s, Neil lands in Hollywood and he had been selling a lot of arts and crafts and art nouveau jewelry," Stoehrer explained. "He realized pretty quickly that wasn't what the Hollywood clientele wanted or was interested in. They wanted what he calls 'glamour jewels.' That's really what he transitions to during this part of his career."

The Hollywood section showcases jewelry that belonged to major motion picture stars who understood that jewelry was an essential part of self-fashioning to create both on-screen and off-screen personas. Joan Crawford's philosophy perfectly captures this sentiment with her famous quote displayed in the exhibition: "If you're going to be a star, you have to look like a star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door." These vintage pieces have enjoyed a second life on modern performers, having been worn by contemporary stars such as Madonna, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Garner.

The exhibition came together through long-standing relationships and conversations in the art world. According to Wright, former Toledo Museum of Art director Don Bacigalupi, who now lives in Los Angeles, knew Lane personally and was aware that the collector was seeking a venue to display his complete collection. "Conversations and relationships span a long period of time before a show like this comes to fruition," Wright noted. "This is the first time it has ever been shown in its entirety, so it's really a world premiere."

Creating an exhibition of this magnitude and intricacy presented unique challenges for the museum team. "Absolutely one of the challenges of showing jewelry is that almost every single one of these pieces requires a customized mount," Wright explained. "We have over 200 individual pieces in the exhibition, and most of them are mounted in a very specific way. Lighting this kind of work and showing it in a way that you can experience something that's very small, that you can get up close to, is really a feat." The museum's careful attention to these technical details ensures that visitors can fully appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of each piece in Lane's remarkable collection.