Fashion

EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Mauboy’s engagement ring designer reveals the sentimental meaning behind its butterfly motif

''Because we knew butterflies meant a lot to Jess, we wanted to incorporate them into her custom design.''
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Jessica Mauboy and her fiancé Themeli Magripilis are all loved up, but we can’t keep our eyes off that stunning engagement ring!

Woman’s Day previously reported that soccer player Themeli popped the question on the beach in his homeland of Kalymnos, a remote island in Greece. And just when you thought this engagement couldn’t get more romantic, we’ve discovered the ring he helped to design had a special meaning behind it.

We chatted exclusively to Nadia Neuman from Mondial Jewellers to get all the details on that gorgeous sparkler and the sentimental significance of the butterfly motif featured.

Woman’s Day: How did your relationship with Jessica Mauboy come about?

Nadia: I’ve always loved that Jess is authentic about things that matter. She’s sweet, friendly and warm. She doesn’t seem too self-conscious or take herself too seriously. As such, I had always wanted to meet and work with her because I like doing business with like-minded people.

I first worked with Jess when she was preparing for Eurovision in 2018 and we instantly had a great connection. Since then, we’ve developed a wonderful friendship.”

Watch Jessica Mauboy makes it through to the Eurovision Grand Final. Post continues after video…

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How was the ring created?

“The amazing thing about Mondial is that the purchaser has as much say and involvement in the creation process as they want. So, my main role with Themeli during this process was to ensure the ring reflected his vision and was a one-off piece that was entirely unique to Jess.

To do that, I sat with Themeli and Jess’ stylist and we all came up with ideas that we thought she would love. What it really came down to however, was that Themeli knows her heart, what matters to her most and that she loves things that are pretty, feminine, delicate and classic.

Having her stylist be part of the process also helped as he knew what looked good on her, what would make her feel good to wear and what would be uniquely her. After all that, my contribution was to bring all that information together, interpret it and create something beautiful and bespoke that met all of those requirements.”

Jessica’s fiance Themeli was very involved with the design of the ring.

(Image: Instagram @jessicamauboy1)

How much input did Themeli have in creating the ring and what kind of things was he looking for in the design?

Themeli came to Mondial knowing the ins and outs of Jess’ heart, what she loves and what matters to her most. With all that in mind, he was able to select different styles, shapes, coloured stones, styles of settings, coloured metals, materials and designs.

We then used the elements he loved out of each design as inspiration to make her custom ring. We also added meaningful details (like the butterfly motif) that we had never used before.”

Butterflies mean a lot to Jess and were so incorporated into the ring design.

(Images: Supplied)

What is the special meaning of the butterfly motif?

“I have always loved butterflies because they are both beautiful and fragile. They represent transformation, progression and growth. And while I don’t know Jess’ interpretation of butterflies exactly, I know they have always meant a lot to her and generally people who feel an affinity towards butterflies do so for those reasons.

Ultimately, I believe jewellery should have meaning and tell a story about the wearer. Pieces I usually custom design have personal inscriptions or symbols embedded in them. So, because we knew butterflies meant a lot to Jess, we wanted to incorporate them into her custom design.”

READ MORE: Celebrity engagement rings: The most dazzling rocks

The stone of Jess’s ring is a 1.5 carat diamond, lucky girl!

(Image: Supplied)

Tell us about the ring specifically, what are all the details?

The stone is a 1.5 carat oval diamond personally selected by us for Jess, surrounded by little round and marquise cut diamonds with additional round and marquise cut stones on the band.

Using these different cuts of diamonds worked beautifully because it gave the ring a little bit more dimension and movement. We took a classic design and made it unique and special for Jess. We made the setting in a premium white gold with the butterfly motif in the gallery under the stone in rose gold.

Congratulations you two!

(Image: Instagram @themeli89)

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