Angelina Jolie struck a memorable pose at the Academy Awards this year (hand on hip, leg thrust out of thigh-high slit of long black dress). Too memorable? While her leg garnered its own Twitter account, some were so distracted by the saucy stance that they didn’t notice the 20 carat cushion cut diamond earrings in her ears, provided by Hollywood go-to designer Neil Lane. (Jolie let her hair down that night, literally, which didn’t help.) No worries for Neil though. Oscar-worthy or not, actresses are still lining up to wear Lane’s baubles on the red carpet (Madonna, JLo, even Babs, to name a few — btw, that’s 4 Oscars and 16 Grammys, thank you, no help from Lopez). And now Lane’s carving out a rich niche in the engagement and wedding rings market, good for repeat business in Hollywood. His 3.5-carat rock creations can currently be seen on the fingers of pop stars Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson.
But it’s all about versatility. Proving he can cater to the D-list too, Lane has become the official engagement ring designer for ABC-TV’s dating game shows “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” where an engagement usually doesn’t last forever. And looking even further down, now those who aren’t followed by paparazzi or rudely interviewed by Anderson Cooper (he once asked a bachelorette “how many guys did you sleep with” while she nobly refrained from asking him the same) can find a Neil Lane replica at one of 900 Kay Jewelers stores. Where every kiss begins.
