Australian Financial Review
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IN PRE-PANDEMIC 2020, MARGOT McKinney was the No.2 vendor in precious jewellery for luxury US department store chain Neiman Marcus. Not bad for a small business based in Brisbane. But McKinney has heritage. As the fourth generation of a Toowoomba fine jewellery family, she has been designing bold, award-winning pieces in opals, pearls and precious gems for decades. They're sold at Bergdorf Goodman, and to clients in London, Europe and Asia. From June, the Museum of Brisbane is hosting a survey of her work and her 138-year- old family archives.
"I still refer to myself as a shopkeeper," says McKinney, pictured above inside her semi-secret city atelier known simply as the little green door. "But I've certainly become emboldened with success. Some time ago, I created an opal ring that was enormous and my mother said "darling, it's really too big'. But I put it in the front window of Neman Marcus in Dallas, and the women all stopped to look. Not one of them said it was too big. McKinney has forged strong relationships with oyster farmers and opal miners, who she visits each year. "Every piece I make has an authentic story behind it, which clients love. McKinney's nephew, Andrew, works with her and will soon launch a men's line called McKinney Welch. "It's an exciting new chapter in the business and a growing market," she says. "Why shouldn't men wear jewellery?"
World of Wonder: Margot Mckinney,
June 18 to November 6.
Philippa Coates