I have often been asked why name this style of ring the "Nerrena" ring. It is a deeply personal reason, as Nerrena is a part of my history. In the 1850s, gold discoveries in Victoria, Australia sparked gold rushes similar to the California Gold Rush. At its peak, some two tonnes of gold per week flowed into the Treasury Building in Melbourne, the state capital. I was born in a town located in the Nerrena Goldfields, part of the greater Victorin Goldfields. The goldrush began there in 1851 and had dwindled by the first decade of the 20th century, however, gold continues to be mined there today. The second largest gold nugget ever found, called The Welcome Nugget, was discovered there at Bakery Hill in Ballarat and weighed in at an astonishing 2,217 troy ounces (83.8 kg or nearly 184lbs) at 99.6% pure gold. It was eventually melted down for coinage after being displayed at the Crystal Palace in London. Old and abandoned mine shafts are found throughout the town and my father (a geologist) explored them often. Sometimes he would take us with him down the shafts and addits. I grew up surrounded by gold, mines and open pits, so it was a natural evolution to name one of my designs after the goldfield I was born in. This moody statement ring holds a rich, deep purple marquise shape tourmaline from Nigeria, set east-west across the finger and framed by our signature graduated gold and platinum granulation. One-of-a-kind.
