For British brand Kiki McDonough, jewellery is more than just an accessory: it’s a modern-day heirloom, designed to be worn today but crafted to last a lifetime. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the brand is hailed for bringing coloured gemstones into the fore of the UK’s fine jewellery scene, particularly at a time when nobody else was using them.
You might be familiar with Kiki McDonough designs, given they have graced three generations of British royalty – including the late Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla. They are instantly recognisable for a bold use of colourful gemstones, which is something that the brand pioneered upon its inception in the Eighties.
The Princess of Wales has changed so many brands and taken them to the next level – and every brand would say how grateful they are to her
Kiki McDonough
Founder and Creative Director Kiki McDonough, a fifth-generation jeweller, grew up surrounded by craftsmanship and history. Her father owned an antique jewellery store on London’s Bond Street and was renowned for his expertise in Georgian jewellery and English silver.
Following in the footsteps of her family, Kiki founded her eponymous label in 1985 after a close friend asked her to design some modern pieces to sell at their shop in Mayfair. One might say that heritage is in the brand’s DNA.
By 1992, Kiki McDonough had grown so rapidly that its original store moved from its first location on Elizabeth Street to a larger premise on Walton Street. Around the same time, one of its earliest and most iconic designs – a large, heart-shaped crystal motif with a gold bow and a single diamond, featured in both earrings and pendants – was acquired by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to be displayed as a pioneering example of modern jewellery.
Throughout the Nineties, Kiki McDonough firmly established itself as a brand that was doing something different. For example, after being inspired by a blue and green tutu in a performance of Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House, Kiki designed the brand’s legendary avant garde blue topaz and peridot double ovals that customers still seek out today.
A lifelong supporter of the arts, she has often looked to ballet for inspiration, with it remaining both a creative influence and a philanthropic focus that is important to the brand. And today, celebrating four decades in business, Kiki McDonough champions the belief that jewellery should be lived in, not locked away; your pieces are modern heirlooms designed to be worn and loved.
Kiki McDonough’s iconic drop earrings
Perhaps the most esteemed of the brand’s designs is its detachable drop earrings, a concept that it pioneered two decades ago and now spans more than 100 variations. Comprising simple diamond hoop earrings with several attachments in different shapes and sizes, you can mix-and-match hoops and gemstones to suit every mood – perfect for women who need to take their jewellery from day-to-night.
Kiki McDonough also offers a bespoke service that helps you curate pieces that feel entirely your own, whether it be changing a gemstone in an existing piece or conjuring up a brand new design. The brand is proud to still handpick stones for its Special Edition collections, which it does so on the belief that no technology can replace the human eye when it comes to assessing colour, character and intangible spark.
How royalty has influenced Kiki McDonough
Kiki McDonough is proud to say that Princess Kate has played a meaningful role in its evolution. Whilst she wasn’t the first royal to wear its jewellery, her love for the designs coincided with the rise of online media and duly put the brand on the map for new audiences.
Over the years, she has worn an array of coloured gemstones set in both white and yellow gold from Kiki McDonough. That includes in 2012, when she famously wore a striking pair of oval and cushion-cut blue topaz and diamond earrings.
“The Princess of Wales has changed so many brands and taken them to the next level – and every brand would say how grateful they are to her,” Kiki previously told HELLO! “Like Diana, she understands how she can help British brands by wearing them and it’s massively helpful.”
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