Lane reveals all about the diamond ring Mel Owens proposed with
GOLDEN Bachelor jeweler Neil Lane has spilled information about Mel Ownes’ hush-hush engagement just days before the season finale, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.
Former NFL player Mel, 66, is set to wed Peg Munson, a 62-year-old retired firefighter and bomb tech, following the season finale.
It was kept under wraps, but sources have now confirmed the news, and the proposal will be shown on Wednesday’s episode, as the second season of the ABC reality series comes to a close.
Sources previously said it was clear Mel was struggling to find a connection on the show in the beginning, and execs were terrified he wouldn’t get down on one knee.
The U.S. Sun spoke to Neil Lane, the famed designer, who created the ring for Mel, said that it is one he designed years ago.
“So in my Hollywood collection, I had the opportunity to buy Jean Harlow’s diamond engagement ring from 1938, and I kept it forever,” he revealed, referencing the 1930s American actress.
“And when I did my first Bachelor [series], the first ring I designed was an homage to that ring to this day.
“So the first Bachelor ring I designed, I don’t know how many years ago, is a replica, an inspiration of Jean Harlow’s Art Deco engagement ring.
“It’s a pear-shaped diamond with square little diamonds all around it. It’s the Golden Bachelor, so it’s got to be a golden ring.”
Lane said working with the older Bachelor contestants brings a “different energy” to the job of designing the right ring.
DIFFERENT ENERGY
“It’s wonderful because the young fellows are still in their twenties, they’ve never looked at rings before, and they’re so impressed, and I love that kind of energy and really helping them for guidance,” he said.
“And with the Golden Bachelor people, they’ve been there before, so working with them is a whole kind of different energy that they bought rings before, sometimes, most of the time, this ring is going to mean something different now.
“So the different energies are really attractive, I think for the show and for these age differences in men that are older in their 60s, how they deal with a diamond ring as opposed to someone that’s 20. It’s completely different.
“I had a great time in Costa Rica with the first Golden Bachelor, Gerry [Turner].
“I had a great time working with him on a ring. He was very sincere.”
Gerry married his winner, Theresa Nist, in a live televised wedding in January 2024, but they announced their divorce three months later.
In October 2025, he announced he was now engaged to Lana Sutton, after revealing he had been diagnosed with a slow-growing blood cancer.
Meanwhile, Mel traveled to Antigua with his final two women for overnight dates during last Wednesday’s episode – Peg, and Cindy Angelcyk Cullers, a retired biomedical engineer.
The episode was slammed by viewers who complained it was “painful” to watch after describing it as the most “boring” series.
Mel also appeared torn between the ladies the entire episode, especially after his date with Cindy.
‘LASTING INFLUENCE’
But it has since been revealed that Mel eventually chose Peg as his future wife, and they are still engaged.
“Producers doubted if Mel was going to land the plane and pull through at the beginning,” a source told The U.S. Sun.
“Even halfway through, they were questioning if they made the right choice and if they went with the right guy.
“But he really turned things around at the end and made this season work for him.
“They weren’t sure if he was going to propose, and he wasn’t even sure if he was going to.”
Jeweler Lane is unveiling his new book, Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane, showcasing the extraordinary scope of his collection and its lasting influence on fashion, art, and style.
The tome is being released in partnership with the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, and with a planned exhibition – the first public showing of his fabled private collection.
“I have so many relationships with Toledo because everything happens in Ohio for me.
“Everything in life, every corner you take, takes you to another corner.
“These are things that I collected over a period of years that have a meaning for me.”
