Ros Mayne with her bespoke sapphire and diamond ring, created in collaboration with Stephens Jewellers after last year’s Ladies Who Lunch auction.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
When Ros Mayne attended the Ladies Who Lunch event last year, she had no intention of bidding in the annual auction. However, on the day, thinking about how much she would enjoy creating a custom piece of jewellery courtesy of Stephens Jewellers, everything changed. And, from her table, her hand rose in the air — and she won.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Although, this was no ordinary jewellery package. Ros won a spectacular two-carat Tear Drop Cut Sapphire, donated by Stephens Jewellers and Sapphire Dreams, as part of a custom design package valued at $6000.
“We were enjoying the festivities, and I couldn’t think of a smarter way to provide essential oncology services to the women of the Goulburn Valley while gaining tax-deductible jewellery. It’s a win-win,” Ros said.
Stephens Jewellers has a long history of supporting women’s health fundraising initiatives in Greater Shepparton. Owners Stephen Schneider and his wife, Michelle, were long-term sponsors of the Shepparton News Pink Ribbon Brunch for over 11 years, and today, they are honoured to be a foundation platinum sponsor of the GV Health Foundation Ladies Who Lunch event.
“We appreciate the long-term support of the community and see the alignment with supporting women’s health as a perfect way to support the broader community and our valued customers, too,” Stephen said.
“Each year, we donate a variety of premium jewellery items as aspirational raffle prizes, ranging from Pink Diamond rings and accessories to Swiss watches.
“With Ros winning last year, we worked closely with her to bring a dream ring design to life, reflecting aspects of a treasured family heirloom piece.”
The stunning result is a multi-shade teal blue-green kaleidoscope of Australian sapphires and diamonds, arranged in a scattered array loosely resembling the tail feathers of a proud peacock.
“I brought my two daughters to Stephens Jewellers to hand pick the other sapphires and diamonds to complement the main gem,” Ros said.
“My inspiration was our girls’ eye colours and our 20-year wedding anniversary. It’s a showstopper!”
With Ros’s permission, once the ring was finished, the design was entered in the 2025 Showcase Jewellers Group Australasian Jewellery Design Awards — a prestigious independent jewellery design award with entries from across Australia and New Zealand.
“We are proud to have been judged a finalist,” Stephen said.
“Crafted in bright white platinum, this truly is a one-of-a-kind bespoke ring design.”
At this year’s event, Stephens Jewellers is once again partnering with Sapphire Dreams to donate a custom design package valued at $8000, centred around a truly unique two-carat Emerald Cut certified Australian Parti Sapphire.
The sapphire is valued at approximately $4000 and is combined with a bespoke custom design package of your choice from Stephens Jewellers to the value of $4000, giving a combined value of $8000.
“The strength and generosity of our community always impresses me,” Ros said.
“I applaud their continued involvement. Supporting these wonderful causes in our community will directly benefit our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends.”
If you haven’t been able to get tickets to this Sunday’s Ladies Who Lunch, the good news is you can still join the fun by participating in the online auction.
Thanks to a fantastic line-up of sponsors and generous community support, there’s a huge range of items up for grabs this year.
Shop and bid with purpose to find the perfect Christmas gift for him or her, or something special just for you — all while supporting a great cause.
Once you place a bid, you’ll receive SMS notifications if someone outbids you. Winning bidders will also be notified via SMS and must pay for their item within 48 hours, or the item will revert to the previous highest bidder.
All funds raised through the silent auction will support women’s oncology services at GV Health.
The award-winning custom sapphire and diamond ring designed by Stephens Jewellers for Ros Mayne.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Stephens Jewellers owner Stephen Schneider and operations manager Frank Sagoleo celebrate being named finalists in the 2025 Showcase Jewellers Group Australasian Jewellery Design Awards.
