Black Fern Portia Woodman wearing the ring. Photo: Alan Lee / Photosport
A Palmerston North jeweller says she was humbled to be asked to make the official Rugby World Cup commemorative rings for the Black Ferns.
Cameron Jewellery custom designed the rings, which have a silver fern on the top and RWC21 engraved inside.
Owner Jessie Cameron was honoured to be asked to create the piece.
"It's pretty amazing. In the end of September, the events team from Rugby New Zealand contacted us about commissioning some pieces and we went through a number of different designs," she told Morning Report.
"We settled on a design through one of the management team who lives here in Palmerston North and the team manager through a lot of Facetime calls, making sure the design was absolutely perfect for everyone in the wider team as well."
Style and comfort was important in the design, she said.
"The design means that the players can wear and have it close to them.
"We needed something that was the right design for every member, not just the team but the wider management staff as well, so everyone can have the same design and the same piece."
The team received their rings before the start of the World Cup.
"They were given to them [the team] in the first couple of days when they arrived in Auckland and it was part of the ceremonies in the first few days, but then they got right into the game time, so we haven't had a lot of chance to see the girls wearing it.
"But over the last few days especially with them greeting crowds in Auckland we have seen the team wearing our pieces. It has been pretty special."
The Black Ferns Rugby World Cup ring, designed by Cameron Jewellery. Photo: Supplied / Cameron Jewellery
While this ring was designed for the Black Ferns, the public can buy a similar ring from Cameron Jeweller.
"It's based on a design that we keep on stock; we did a few tweaks to make it special for the team, but we do have a slightly different version available on our website."
