The Story Behind Monet's Garden

Monet painted the same pond again and again. For almost thirty years he returned to the waterlilies in his garden at Giverny, not because the pond changed, but because the light on it never stayed still. Morning blue, afternoon gold, the deep green beneath the lily pads. He was chasing a feeling more than a view.

That idea, of returning to something you love and finding it new each time, is what I wanted to hold in this collection. Monet's Garden is a set of engagement rings and wedding bands designed to be worn together, every day, for a lifetime. Rings that will look a little different in every light, and mean a little more with every year.

A palette borrowed from the pond

Each Monet's Garden ring takes its colour from a different moment on the water.

The Ceylon sapphire ring is the summer sky caught on still water: a pale blue Ceylon sapphire at its heart, between two deep, inky Australian sapphires, the colour of the pond beneath the lilies, with a small white diamond set flush on either side like sunlight glinting off the surface.

The green sapphire ring is the pond itself, verdant and still. A green Australian sapphire shimmers like a lily pad touched by sun, with flower-set champagne diamonds blooming in soft, warm light on either side.

The Ceylon sapphire and green sapphire rings

The Australian sapphire ring pairs a deep blue sapphire with two vivid, flower-set pink sapphires, the waterlilies opening on dark water. And for those who love simplicity, the oval diamond ring is a single white diamond, natural or lab-grown, luminous as dew on a petal at first light.

The Australian and pink sapphire ring, and the oval diamond ring

Made to sit low, made to be worn

Every ring in the collection is low profile. The stones sit close to the hand in a gently rising, signet-style face, so they won't catch on jumpers or hair, and they're comfortable enough to forget you're wearing them. That matters to me. An engagement ring should be part of your everyday life, not something you take off to protect.

The bands are hand-formed in recycled gold and carry my signature texture, rippled like brushstrokes on canvas. No two are ever exactly the same, which feels right for a collection inspired by a painter who never painted the same pond twice.

The bands that complete the story

A low-profile engagement ring deserves a wedding band that fits it properly. So alongside the engagement rings, I've made a family of curved bands that arc gently to sit snugly beside them, with no awkward gap between your rings.

• The Curved Rosette Ring, with eleven natural white diamonds or five blue Australian sapphires, each held in my signature rosette setting.
• The Whisper Ring, a 3mm band with faint hand-engraved swirls, like whispers of love wound around the band.
• The Curved Breeze Ring in 2mm and 3mm, carrying the soft organic texture of my classic Breeze band.
• The Keystone Ring, an arch of sculpted gold tiles rising to a central keystone.

Left: the oval diamond ring with the curved diamond Rosette and Breeze bands. Right: the Ceylon sapphire ring with the sapphire Rosette.

Left: with the engraved Whisper band. Right: with the 2mm curved Breeze.

Mix them, stack them, wear one or three. They're designed to work with every ring in the collection, and with the Floral Relic Halo Signet, a light blue Australian sapphire in a halo of sixteen star-set diamonds.

Not sure which band suits your ring? Read my guide to choosing a wedding band for a low-profile engagement ring.

The Floral Relic Halo Signet, on its own and with the curved diamond Rosette

Made slowly, made with care

Every piece in Monet's Garden is handmade to order in my studio in the Nicholas Building in Melbourne, using recycled gold and ethically sourced gems. Each ring is available in 9ct, 14ct or 18ct yellow gold, or in 9ct or 18ct white gold, and can be made in your size.

A few pieces are also in the studio now and ready to ship, if you're planning a proposal soon.

If you'd like to see the collection in person, try on the curved bands with your own ring, or talk about choosing a different stone, I'd love to meet you. You can book an appointment in the studio, or explore the full collection here.

x Ada