Model of Schindler's ring found in a box of clutter

A Melbourne man has discovered an extremely rare piece of Holocaust history connected to Oskar Schindler, who was the subject of Steven Spielberg's 1994 Oscars-winning film.

Louis Gross had intended to throw out a box of "knick knacks" left to him by his father, which contained a replica of a ring Schindler had been gifted by the Jews he saved, the ABC reports.

During the Holocaust Gross's father, Jozef, was a jeweller in Schindler's factory, alongside the 1200 other Jews Schindler protected from the gas chambers.

Gross told the ABC his father made the ring and had modelled it on the gift for Schindler.

"[My father] made a model out of lead pipe, used cuttlefish to make the mould, with a channel to pour the lead into the cuttlefish," Gross said.

The ring had been left sitting in a box for 30 years before it was passed down to Gross. He had no idea of its significance.

A former business partner alerted him to the significance to the ring before he tossed it out.

Gross has now donated the ring to the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne.

Jewish Holocaust Centre curator Jayne Josem told the ABC the ring would be one of the few physical exhibits it had from Schindler's factory.

"This is rare is because it's an item that connects to a specific story that's a very well-known story."