Summary
Gold friendship ring made by Melbourne jeweller William Lamborn about 1852-1854. The ring was crafted from Beechworth gold and was a birthday gift from Francis Bassett-Beel his prospective mother-in-law Grace Stephens. It was likely that in sending Grace the ring that Francis aimed to impress upon her his genuine desire to marry her daughter, Elizabeth Jane Stephens, and to demonstrate that he had the ability to provide for Elizabeth and Grace.
Francis Bassett-Beel was a Cornish miner from Ludock, Cornwall who migrated to the Baarmutha Goldfields in Victoria, about 1850. He built a house in 1852 at Three Mile Diggins and farmed the land. Francis and Elizabeth married on 6 March 1861 at St Enodor, Cornwall, when Elizabeth was 19 years of age. The couple returned to Australia with Grace after their marriage travelling on the 'Angelsea'.
Physical Description
Women's gold ring with two clasped hands around a central love heart, inscribed with the worn cursive letters GS. A Maker's mark W.L. is stamped on the reverse. Ring incomplete, back section missing.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
Clothing & Textiles, Engineering, Migration, Politics & Society, Working Life & Trades
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Maker
William Lamborn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1852-1854
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Presented By
Mr Francis Bassett-Beel, Baarmutha, North East, Victoria, Australia, circa 1852-1854
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Presented To
Mrs Grace Stephens, Cornwall, England, Great Britain, circa 1852-1854
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Object Dimensions
21 mm (Width), 21 mm (Depth), 17 mm (Height)
Ring is broken and band does not reach full circumference.
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Keywords
Rings, Birthdays, Friendships, Jewellery, Jewellers, Gold Miners, Gold Mining, Gold & Silversmithing, Gold Rushes, Goldfields, Cornish immigration, Cornish communities
