Summary

Handcrafted gold ring, consisting of a central natural gold nugget supported by floral emblems by W.H. Ede, Melbourne, circa 1855. This is the only known piece of jewellery by W. H. Ede who operated as a jeweller and goldsmith in Melbourne for four years from 1854 to 1858. The ring was discovered by a prospector in the Beechworth area and had probably been laying in the creek bed for one hundred and seventy years. It is a very early and very rare, somewhat crude, example of a Victorian gold rush miner's ring.

A friend of the prospector described the discovery: 'approximately 5 kms downstream from the Woolshed Falls, which is just north of Beechworth. It was in an area that was heavily occupied by the early diggers, including a lot of Chinese. He has found quite a few Chinese coins in the area. Within a very small area (perhaps a ¼ acre) he found the ring, a snake buckle and lots of buttons. He has also found lots of cutlery and crockery in the area. Approximately 1 km from where he discovered the ring, he found an (sic) 1845 gold half sovereign, as well.'

Physical Description

Handcrafted thick gold ring with a central natural gold nugget flanked by floral emblems forming the band.

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