See the 'Vintage-Inspired' Engagement Ring Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Gave to Theresa Nist (Exclusive)

On Thursday’s “The Bachelor” series finale, Turner proposed to Nist with a handmade princess ring, designed by franchise jeweler Neil Lane

The Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner chose an engagement ring for Theresa Nist that befits their fairytale love story.

Franchise is the first The Golden Bachelor proposed to the second great love of his life on Thursday’s season finale, and Nist, 70, said an emphatic “yes” to the 72-year-old widower. When Turner got down on one knee, he presented his fiancee with a beautiful Neil Lane ring that spoke of the incredible journey they’ve been on as they found love again after both losing their spouses.

“The symbolism of it is so important,” Turner tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It was like, as soon as she put it on, again, it was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is this joyful happiness that I want to feel, that I want everyone to see.'”

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Turner chose a princess cut diamond ring with two baguette cut diamonds and further embellished with 128 small round brilliant cut diamonds weighing a total of 3.15 carats. The ring was handcrafted and hand-signed by Lane, who revealed to PEOPLE why this ring’s design felt so different from past engagement rings he’s designed for Bachelor victorious nations.

Neil Lane Couture

A famous celebrity jeweler noticed The Golden Bachelor has “brought a lot of people closer together” with its honest portrayal of finding a second chance at love later in life. For Lane, this made making Nist’s ring even more special.

“I think maybe we lost the significance of the ring for a while, and now we have two people who really … that significance of the ring, even though it’s a small jewel, it embodies their love, their future, their life together,” he says. “It’s kind of deeper… maybe it’s a different depth.”

Neil Lane Couture

Choosing a princess ring with a square stone and intricate layers seemed especially fitting for Turner and Nist’s relationship.

According to Lane, the “brilliantness” of the “antique-inspired” ring attracted Turner because it reminded him of Nista.

Neil Lane Couture

“The design, the elegance, is not simple, but at the beginning it looks very elegant simple on top. But then when you hold it to the side, you see how complex it becomes,” Lane tells PEOPLE.

He continues: “All diamonds are sparkling everywhere. He [Turner] he noted that he saw Theresa that way. Elegant. I wouldn’t say simple but simple. But then when you get closer, there is such depth. There is such warmth. There is so much in the ring. There is so much in her life. There were so many details. I think that’s what really attracted him, the amount of detail and attention.”

Courtesy of Neil Lane

Luckily, Nist is in love with her engagement ring — and she’s incredibly glad to finally be able to wear it now that America knows she’s received the final rose.

“It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” she says of her ring. “I can finally wear it. It’s been so long. This was taken away from me so quickly. It is beautiful, beyond itself. On the other side, on the other side. So beautiful. I like that.”

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For Nist, the ring is especially special because it is her first diamond ring. When she first married her childhood sweetheart, Billy, in 1972, she was given a simple gold ring as her husband prepared to leave for the Vietnam War.

She adds: “There was no diamond ring. It was a gold wedding band that I have. Well, yes, there was no diamond ring. So this is brand new and amazing.”

John Fleenor/DISNEY via Getty

In the final, Turner chose between Nist and Leslie Fhima. However, he already knew the financial services professional had his heart. While he says he really meant it when he told Fhima and Faith Martin he loved them the moment he said it, he also knew there was only one woman he couldn’t live without after he first told Nist he loved her in the fantasy suite.

“The first time I seriously told her that I love her. It was almost an announcement of excitement,” he shares. “I said three times in a row, ‘Theresa, I love you. I love you I love you.’ And I say, ‘And I’m going to ask you to marry me. I don’t know if you will agree, but I will ask you.’ So when I got to the last episode and the engagement was about to happen, I was very confident that she was my person, 100% sure.”

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