A favourite of Princess Catherine, Queen Camilla and the late Princess Diana, British jeweller Kiki McDonough has just received a Royal Warrant from The Queen. Read all about it below.
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British jeweller Kiki McDonough has just received a prestigious Royal Warrant from HM The Queen, and now joins an exclusive list of prestigious brands favoured by the Royal Family.
Renowned for designing ultra-feminine silhouettes and her bold use of exuberant coloured gemstones, McDonough marked the 40th anniversary of her eponymous business last year with an exhibition at Londond’s Saatchi Gallery and the publication of her book, A Life In Colour.
Reacting to the news that she had been honoured for her lifetime’s work by The Queen, McDonough was clearly delighted.
“Receiving a Royal Warrant is the greatest honour of my career – something I could scarcely have dreamed of when I sat down with a pencil and paper contemplating my first design over 40 years ago,” she said. “To be recognised in this way for craftsmanship and consistency over decades feels incredibly special.”
Back in the 1980s, MacDonough could not have conceived that one day, she would be designing jewels for princesses and queens. In fact, she didn’t think of working in jewellery at all. The daughter of a Georgian jewellery expert, McDonough initially no desire to follow in her father’s footsteps, so he sold his business. It was only after a friend persuaded her to design a small collection of modern accessories for his Mayfair boutique that she finally warmed to the idea.
One of her initial designs – a pair of earrings featuring crystal heart motifs topped with gold and diamond ribbons – became immensely popular and, in 1985, she established her own fine jewellery company, with a small boutique in London’s Elizabeth Street. “In those days, the jewellery business was full of intimidating shops staffed by men and women hardly ever bought pieces for themselves, which I thought was silly,” she has previously said. “I’d grown up wearing bellbottoms and Biba, so I designed a few fun things I’d want for myself – a little bit glamorous, but that you could still wear every day.”
Such was McDonough’s knack for knowing what women wanted to buy for themselves that she soon counted a pair of young Royals amongst her growing fanbase.
A year after she founded her company, Sarah Ferguson selected a pair of Kiki McDonough earrings to wear for her engagement portrait with the Duke of York. Then, Diana, Princess of Wales, came calling and catapulted Kiki McDonough’s designs into the global spotlight.
The Princess became a longstanding client and notably wore a pair of McDonough’s amethyst and pearl earrings on a visit to the White House in 1990. The design promptly sold out.
Now, with her business thriving (having weathered at least three recessions, and two economic crashes), McDonough once again finds herself a royal favourite. Princess Catherine is reputed to own at least 20 different Kiki McDonough designs – including several of her boldly colourful earrings – and Queen Camilla is frequently photographed wearing her Apollo mini blue topaz and diamond pendant, which she often layers with other sentimental charm necklaces.
“A Royal Warrant is the ultimate mark of trust and excellence, built over time, and that makes it all the more meaningful,” states McDonough, of her latest (and greatest) royal acknowledgement. “This moment feels like a celebration of a lifetime dedicated to the beauty and individuality of coloured gemstones.”
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