Margot McKinney

Exhibited by Margot McKinney. The Finest Jewels.

Material Kunzite (142.02ct), diamonds, multi-coloured sapphires, and 18-karat yellow gold

Dimensions 25 x 16 cm

Place of Creation Australia

Price Price available upon inquiry

Status Vetted

About the Work

The gemstone at the centre of the Galaxy Collier – a 142.02ct kunzite – is extraordinarily rare due to its large size and the intensity of colour that is completely saturated throughout its structure. Selected by the Australian jewellery designer Margot McKinney from a carefully curated collection of very important kunzite gems held by fifth-generation gem-cutter Paul-Otto Caesar in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, this large and significant gem inspired her to create a spectacular piece around it that would showcase its outstanding properties.

Wishing to echo and enhance the hard, straight lines of the gem’s form and the sense of exacting order and precision that it conveys, she describes her approach to the design as ‘a riff on themes of architectural discipline’ intended to create a piece ‘as timeless and enduring as the gem at its heart.’ Galaxy therefore represents something of a departure for McKinney from her usual preference for organic designs that reflect the ‘perfect imperfection’ of natural forms.

The designer said that she found the intense colour within the kunzite to inspire her creatively, leading her to assemble a highly ordered array of gems to frame it in colours that would complement and showcase its internal hues.

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