The Diamond Master: Nic Cerrone's Journey To Racing Immortality
From Italian Vineyards To Crafting Racing's Ultimate Prize
At Royal Randwick each October, champions claim racing's most spectacular prize, a US$500,000 masterpiece comprising 8,000 hand-set diamonds that takes Nic ( Nicola )Cerrone an entire year to create. The world's richest race on turf takes place at Royal Randwick on October 18, 2025, where US$20 million in prize money awaits, and Nic Cerrone's diamond masterpiece will crown another champion for eternity.
Behind this glittering symbol of excellence stands a 70-year-old Italian immigrant whose remarkable journey from farming family to Australia's premier craftsman proves that extraordinary achievement begins with patient dedication.
From Italian Soil To Sydney
Born into a farming family in central Italy, Cerrone learned life's fundamental lessons amongst olive groves and vineyards. "My parents were farming; I was born in Central Italy. We were growing olive trees and we were growing grapes," Cerrone recalls. "We learned that you need to look after your grounds. If you didn't look after your grounds, you've got no future."
This agricultural wisdom became central to his business philosophy. When the family emigrated to Australia at age 12, his father secured work as a gardener for jeweller William Fisher. Young Nic discovered his call whilst observing the craftsman at work.
"In Australia, I was doing the garden maintenance for a jeweller and used to watch him craft. I was very interested and asked him for an apprenticeship. He became my master," Cerrone explains.
The apprenticeship under Fisher proved rigorous and unforgiving, leaving Nic with a permanent reminder of the pursuit of excellence. "He made me understand how to seek perfection," Cerrone remembers. "He was a hard man."
After completing his apprenticeship at 22, Cerrone spent eight months travelling Europe, learning from master artisans across the continent. He returned to Australia with enhanced skills and established his workshop in 1972 in the back of his mother's Leichhardt terrace, the same site where his flagship boutique operates today.
The Sacred Art Of Excellence
Cerrone's approach to craftsmanship draws from his most prestigious commission, creating sacred vessels for Pope Benedict XVI's World Youth Day Mass in 2008.
"Making the vessel, plate and ciborium for the Pope for World Youth Day 2008; being an Italian, it was a dream come true," Cerrone reflects, identifying this as his most significant career highlight.
These pieces featured native Australian flora combined with cognac and pink Australian diamonds, showcasing his ability to create objects for momentous occasions.
This reverent approach influenced his racing work when Peter V'landys presented an unprecedented challenge for The TAB Everest.
"Peter V'landys was really after something very unique. He wanted to make history about this, because he wanted to make the most exciting race in the world"
The Year-Long Masterpiece
Creating the world's richest race on turf trophy represents an extraordinary undertaking that defies modern manufacturing conventions. Each sculpture requires a full year to complete, with Cerrone's team beginning work on the next piece as soon as one is finished.
"It takes one year to put all the diamonds together and put all the stones in," Cerrone explains. "Because it's not just one size. You need all different sizes, different widths, and different heights of this particular stone."
The global sourcing process challenges conventional jewellery practices. "We source diamonds from all over the world. We source diamonds from different manufacturers in India, in Belgium, in different places around the world, in Israel and Antwerp, where we choose the best quality that suits us and the right sizes that we need."
The precision required means each stone must be individually selected and often custom cut. "This is the other problem, we need specific sizes to fit into the setting of the trophy. Sometimes they have to be specially cut for what we need."
The finished masterpiece comprises approximately 8,000 diamonds, including 550 carats of black diamonds, 32 carats of white diamonds, and ruby eyes. The base replicates Mount Everest itself, whilst the entire sculpture weighs 14 kilograms.
"Let me tell you how many times we have redesigned this horse. That's the beauty of communicating with people and absorbing their feelings; that's what you need. You need a good coach at the end of the day"
Beyond Monetary Value
Cerrone's understanding of actual worth transcends commercial calculation. His experience with discerning clients like Barbra Streisand, whom he describes as "the perfect customer" who "is very well educated on diamonds, especially pink diamonds", reveals the difference between expense and appreciation.
"She loves her jewellery and appreciates unique pieces," Cerrone notes, highlighting how educated clients understand craft and rarity beyond price tags.
Other celebrity clients include Celine Dion, Jennifer Hawkins, Delta Goodrem, and Kerri-Anne Kennerley, though Cerrone remains discreet about his famous clientele.
This sophisticated appreciation mirrors what racing connections bring to the Gr.1 The TAB Everest, recognising that earning a place in this field represents something money alone cannot purchase.
The De Beers Diamond International Award that Cerrone won in 1998 for his Elizabethan Ruff carried no monetary prize, yet he treasures it as bringing "recognition back to Australia." Considering the Oscars of the jewellery industry, it remains his most prized achievement among over 50 national and international jewellery design awards. "The Elizabethan Cuff I designed is still my wife's favourite piece and women continue to ask to wear it to various events," he notes.
Cerrone won his last award in 1998 as he felt there was "nothing higher to achieve. I had already won the ultimate awards and established my business name." Today, Cerrone is the name of the rich and famous turn to for jewellery for red carpet events or special occasions.
The Disappearing Art
At his Southern Highlands retreat, "the most peaceful place on earth", Cerrone contemplates preserving traditional craftsmanship in an increasingly automated world.
"Jewellery art is becoming extinct. We have a lot of technology that helps you create whatever you want, but there are not many jewellers who can sit and make jewellery today," he observes.
This dedication to handmade excellence makes this US$20 million spectacle more significant than entertainment. Like Cerrone's workshop approach, The A$20?million sprint spectacular celebrates human achievement that cannot be mass-produced or replicated.
"It's like a handmade suit, the guy is going to make you a suit, and he's going to stitch it one by one, and he's going to measure it so it fits you personally. Something tangible that you can feel. There is a human being who spends a lot of time to make that perfect"
Cerrone actively trains apprentices to preserve these traditions. "I'm teaching a lot of young people, taking a lot of apprentices to teach them the jewellery business because this field is virtually dying."
Cerrone has trained eight master jewellers who are now passing their skills to new apprentices.
His dedication to nurturing talent earned him recognition with the Medal of the Order of Australia, presented by Governor Margaret Beazley in a ceremony at Government House on 18 April 2023, acknowledged for his contribution to Australia's arts, manufacturing and business sectors. This Order of Australia is a major highlight in a distinguished career, including receiving the Key to the City (Il Frentano d'Oro) in his hometown of Lanciano, Abruzzo and being elevated to Knighthood status as recognised by the Italian Republic to celebrate his accomplishments in Australia.
His agricultural heritage informs this philosophy. "You've got to cultivate your ground. Prepare it for summer. You don't cultivate it, you don't get any fruit. That's the reality of life. That's the reality of business, the same way."
The Ultimate Recognition
Working within Australia's largest handmade jewellery facility, Cerrone employs 65 skilled artisans who operate like "an orchestra, each one has to work in harmony with the other to create the perfect piece."
The partnership with Racing NSW extends beyond The TAB Everest. Cerrone has created the King's Trophy, a replica of the royal crown following V'landys' invitation to King Charles III, and the Golden Eagle trophy.
The Golden Eagle, designed in 2020 for the spring carnival season, features unique curvy lines and a slim shape, capturing both elegance and power. Plated in gold and silver, each eye of the horse is set with 0.25ct diamonds.
Cerrone also designed The Kosciuszko trophy in 2020, symbolising the power of the horse for the world's richest race for country-trained horses, carrying US$1.3 million in prizemoney and run on the marquee TAB Everest sprint Day.
For Sydney's Autumn Carnival, Cerrone created the trophies for The Championships, known as the grand finals and the jewel in the crown of Sydney's Autumn Carnival. Inspired by classic Hollywood movies and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, each US$50,000 trophy features 2,000 emeralds from Colombia, 140 black diamonds on the mane and hooves, and rare pink Argyle diamond eyes, reflecting Sydney's status as "The Emerald City."
"Curves are a huge part of Cerrone designs," he explains. "They are a part of nature and also a fabulous representation of the shape of a magnificently strong and muscular racehorse."
Each trophy maintains identical specifications, "the same quantity and the same size and the same look", ensuring consistency whilst requiring the same year-long dedication for each creation.
"I always thank them for giving me that opportunity, because if you don't have these events, these moments, there's nothing to achieve, it wouldn't happen. I appreciate what Peter V'landys has done with Racing New South Wales to give this different image and different way of handling racing"
The Living Legacy
From his daily routine, rising at 5 am for the gym before spending 11 hours overseeing his Leichhardt workshop, to his evening retreats with wife Carmela , their Italian greyhound Charli and their new dog Luna, Cerrone maintains the discipline that built his empire.
His philosophy centres on understanding each client's desires rather than imposing his vision. "When I am designing a piece of jewellery for someone, I do not think about what I like, but what she would want to wear," he explains.
This approach extends to the Sydney’s top-tier Everest race trophy, which serves purposes beyond recognition. "You don't consider it as a piece of jewellery. You consider it a piece of art. It's more of a sculpture than jewellery," Cerrone insists.
Cerrone finds inspiration through travel, mainly in Europe, through architecture and fashion, influences that flow into his craftsmanship approach.
Cerrone is one of the very few jewellers invited to bid for approximately 100 pink Australian diamonds released by the Argyle mine each year. They are so rare that a half-carat pink diamond currently sitting in his Leichhardt showcase is priced north of US$500,000.
The contrast with mass-produced trophies is stark. "Trophies are all made by machines, and there's hardly any artisan work in it. It's mass production," he observes. "It's person-hours spent on it. That's why the value of these trophies is appreciated, and they are unique."
As October approaches each year, twelve exceptional horses earn their place in racing's most exclusive field, each carrying dreams of connections who have invested years pursuing this ultimate prize. Recent champions Think About It (2023) and Bella Nipotina (2024), who became the first mare to claim the prize, have joined the exclusive gallery of champions crowned by Cerrone's diamond creation. The trophy awaiting them represents not just victory, but an exclusive gallery where recognition itself becomes the greatest reward.
In Cerrone's sculpture, 8,000 diamonds catch the Sydney afternoon light, each stone placed by hand during a year-long journey from concept to completion. Behind every facet lies the extraordinary story of an immigrant boy who transformed agricultural patience into artistic excellence, proving that true craftsmanship creates value that transcends monetary calculation.
