World of Wonder: Margot McKinney

With a lifetime dedicated to luxury, Australian jewellery designer Margot McKinney is one of the world’s boldest talents. The very definition of timeless elegance and bespoke excellence, Margot’s extraordinary pieces are a celebration of the world’s rarest gems.

For four generations, the McKinney family name has been synonymous with luxury jewels. However, it is Margot herself who has elevated that name to soaring new heights through her own jewellery brand, and flagship store in Brisbane.

With a practice that is rooted deeply in nurturing long-term relationships with suppliers, Margot has worked with leading pearl farmers, opal experts, and gem-cutters across the globe to secure the rare and precious materials that have been the centrepiece of her designs. The one-of-a-kind pieces are coveted by an international clientele and stocked by the prestigious Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores in the USA. The exhibition unearths stories about Margot’s illustrious career and the miracles of nature that make up her designs.

From the coral reef in our own backyard to the rich palette of colours found on safari in Tanzania, this exhibition will be a mesmerising celebration of the complex and profoundly beautiful environments and materials that have inspired her designs. Here you’ll find opulent opals, lustrous pearls and rare gems like the intensely blue tanzanite, lilac amethyst and pink tourmalines.