Larger than Life: New Mineral Masterpieces and Global Adventures with Margot McKinney 

When the time came to write about the latest edition of TEFAF Maastricht, there was one name on the list that really caught our attention: Margot McKinney. The famed Australian designer of extravagantly proportioned coloured gemstone jewels has long been on my radar, but it’s not very often that her team decides to participate in new events or make big international moves. Clearly, the ambitions for 2025 are somewhat bolder! Now, there are a host of new novelties, a trio of masterpieces, and a new boutique to discover in none other than Beverly Hills, California. Let’s take a closer look at the pieces and places that have helped to shape the Margot McKinney brand over the last 12 months, including the rather sensational Marina, Aurora and Bloem necklaces. 

Those on the hunt for sensational jewellery at TEFAF Maastricht this year would have been hard-pushed to miss the Marina collier by Brisbane-based designer Margot McKinney, which was one of my highlights of the event. Its size and scale are unmistakably ‘Margot’, but so too are its elegance and inherent femininity. I would go as far as to say that Margot McKinney is one of the greatest designers when it comes to utilizing extra-large minerals in her creations without sacrificing such essential qualities as balance, beauty and wearability. 

“As a young girl, I was always drawn to bigger pieces of jewellery than girls my age wore,” Margot tells me. “I liked that they made me look different from everybody else. So, when it came to designing my own pieces, it was natural that they featured large gems and over-sized pearls… I was simply expressing my own aesthetic.” She continues: “My pieces are meant to be worn with confidence, and I love the idea of women embracing colour and extraordinary gemstones in their everyday lives.”

Returning to the Marina collier, this piece caused quite a stir at TEFAF and warranted its own dedicated ‘Meet the Expert’ talk with Margot and fifth-generation Australian pearl farmer Aji Ellies. As this was the brand’s debut in the Netherlands (and its first major exhibition in Europe), it made sense to ‘go big or go home’ with a necklace that celebrates the brand’s Australian heritage. The collier is composed of 25 rare baroque Australian South Sea pearls, plus a 241.14-carat seafoam aquamarine, a 109.48-carat green beryl, and a 65.72-carat aquamarine provided by Paul-Otto Caesar – a fifth-generation master gem-cutter from Idar-Oberstein in Germany. Further aquamarines of 32.44 carats and two green tourmalines of 15.88 and 24.09 carats complete with composition, each with haloes of diamonds, sapphires, aquamarines, Paraiba tourmalines and tsavorites. Margot explains: “Within an instant the big gems spoke to me and evoked a vision of the Great Barrier Reef, and the way the light plays with colour in the shallow waters. I decided to combine all three into one magnificent statement piece and set them off with a collection of the biggest Australian South Sea baroque pearls that I already had in waiting for just such a major work. I am certain that Paul-Otto thought I was joking, but I was completely serious!”

Of course, this wasn’t the only newly created masterpiece that the Margot McKinney team showcased… there were a further two, alongside 10 novelties of seriously impressive proportions. As someone who is familiar with the brand, I can see why these pieces were created or chosen for TEFAF, as they perfectly summarise the style, spirit and identity of Margot McKinney. Take, for example, the masterpiece Aurora collier with a pretty palette of minerals, including a 104.94-carat pink tourmaline, a 57.40-carat kunzite and a 38.58-carat morganite. Much like the Marina collier, this necklace is anchored by a suite of 24 large Australian South Sea baroque pearls measuring 16.5-23.5 mm. Surrounding these statement gems is a floral burst of coloured stones, including diamonds, blue, pink and purple sapphires, tsavorites and pink tourmalines. 

The third masterpiece is the Bloem necklace, which follows in the same vein as the previous two but with a delicate and oh-so-romantic cherry blossom aesthetic. There are eight significant tourmalines weighing a combined 240.56 carats, with the largest among them being 65.85 carats. Again, we see an impressive array of 26 large Australian South Sea baroque pearls measuring 15-20mm in white, pale pink and golden peachy hues, with a particularly rare example hanging beneath the focal minerals. To complete the ensemble, there’s a mix of diamonds, brown diamonds, blue, pink and purple sapphires, pink tourmalines, amethysts and rubellites, all in 18k yellow gold.

One of the things that always shines about TEFAF Maastricht is its international pulling power. There are buyers from all over the world who are interested in art, vintage furniture, antiques, and, of course, investment-worthy jewellery. A big contingent comes from the United States, which is ideal for Margot McKinney as she has received both critical acclaim and earned commercial success among American audiences. In fact, just a few weeks after TEFAF in March 2025, the Margot McKinney team announced another achievement – the opening of its first store outside of Australia in Beverly Hills, California. Although Margot’s work has been presented by Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman since 2007, this is the first time she has expanded with a standalone retail presence. 

The store itself is situated within The Peninsula Beverly Hills, the luxury five-star hotel that’s nestled at the intersection of Wilshire and South Santa Monica Boulevards. Aesthetically, though, it mirrors the colours and textures found at the Margot McKinney flagship boutique – ‘The Green Door’ – in Brisbane, so dedicated fans of the brand have some familiar references from which to draw. I am also told that the new space features Margot’s trademark ‘Kelly Green’ gloss lacquer on the cabinetry and trim, plus some splashes of leopard print, a sky blue writing desk, and exotic bird motif wallpaper, which certainly fits the LA vibe! 

While we can’t make any promises about what you’ll find at this new boutique, we can promise a bountiful array of rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings just like the novelties shown at TEFAF. In addition to the three masterpieces referenced above, there were 10 incredible novelties, all in the brand’s uplifting mineral palette. Some of my favourites were the chunky cuff bracelets named Lagoon, Marianas, and Coral Cay. The former is set with a 54.25-carat Australian boulder opal and juicy cabochons of aquamarine and peridot (64.35 carats and 78.28 carats, respectively), plus white opal, blue and orange sapphires, Paraiba tourmalines and tsavorites in 18k white and yellow gold. Marianas is special because it is almost entirely composed of aquamarine (more than 1,000 carats!) and set with an opaque aquamarine cabochon of 176.65 carats. Coral Cay follows a similar path, with more than 1,000 carats of rose quartz forming the cuff and a 43.04-carat pink tourmaline providing the tonal decoration. 

Aside from bracelets, the new novelties include a plethora of necklaces. There’s the remarkable Atoll collier with 253.16 carats of Australian boulder opals surrounded by pistachio pearls, green and blue tourmalines, diamonds, blue sapphires, tsavorites, peridots, zircons and demantoids, anchored in 18k yellow gold. Two of my favourites are the Galaxy collier with an intensely pink 142.02-carat kunzite surrounded by sunrays of diamonds and multi-coloured sapphires and the Palette collier with extra-large baroque aquamarines, tanzanites, rubellites, amethysts and peridots, surrounded by diamonds, blue zircons, kunzites, blue and pink sapphires, demantoids, green tourmalines, amethysts and tsavorites… basically, more minerals than we can count! Finally, there’s the Bow pendant with Australian South Sea baroque pearls and the Kiss necklace, similarly bedecked with Keshi pearls, an Australian South Sea baroque pearl drop, diamonds and pink sapphires, all set in warm 18k rose gold.

Margot McKinney also presented two fabulous rings to round out the new novelties. Rainforest Bloom is set with an Australian black opal of 37.52 carats, surrounded by petals of diamonds, blue sapphires and tsavorites, while the Floral Abundance ring bursts with an Australian South Sea baroque pearl, diamonds, sapphires and tsavorites. Both are showstoppers that no doubt gave TEFAF visitors something to smile about. 

So, as you can see, this is an exciting time in the Margot McKinney calendar. When you look at the pieces pictured here, just remember the size of the gemstones, the sophistication of their placement, and the subtlety of the colour combinations. Achieving this feat with a mineral weighing more than 100 carats is far harder than you might expect. Fortunately, Margot McKinney, both the woman herself and the four generations of family passion that she represents, are well-versed in making big gems look effortlessly elegant.