Jeweler Neil Lane had an inkling something wasn’t quite right. Talking to The Bachelor‘s Arie Luyendyk Jr. as he struggled to pick the 3-carat engagement ring he’d give to Becca Kufrin later that same day, Lane was struck by his indecision.
“We talked for a long time and while I didn’t know exactly what he was thinking at the time, he did seem so torn, conflicted, very serious and under a lot of pressure,” says the show’s go-to jeweler, who flew to Peru to tape the franchise’s dramatic Season 22 finale that aired on Monday. “Arie picked a gorgeous ring for Becca and genuinely spoke so highly of her, but he kept coming back to this other ring and saying how perfect it would be for this other girl — who it turns out was Lauren (Burnham).”
Courtesy Neil Lane. Inset: Jana Cruder
In fact, as Bachelor Nation now knows, it would be that girl — and that ring — to ultimately win Luyendyk Jr.’s heart.
“When I was told he’d broken off his engagement to Becca and was considering proposing to Lauren, I offered him a selection of rings…but he ended up picking the same one for Lauren that so intrigued him in the first place, back in Peru,” Lane tells PEOPLE. “It was like kismet.”
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Luyendyk Jr.’s pick? A handmade platinum and diamond ring that is over 3.5 carats and “way more bold,” according to Lane, who designed the piece himself.
The gorgeous piece features a cushion-cut center stone surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds and accented with two baguette diamonds on the band’s shank.
Lauren’s ring
Courtesy Neil Lane
“It is one of the most highly decorated rings I’ve ever done. It has a whole different feel — it’s not as soft as Becca’s and it has lots of personality with many design esthetics.”
With over 170 small stones as decorative accents, the ring is “totally encrusted with diamonds on all three sides,” Lane says. “It’s really a wow ring — and for everyone involved, this whole season has been a ‘Wow’ experience. I really do hope Arie has finally found happiness.”
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