Kiki McDonough leans into everyday color with Thorns and Roses launch

Color is edging out uniform gold in the stacking conversation, and Kiki McDonough’s new Thorns and Roses collection makes the case in citrine, peridot, fire opal and lavender topaz. Fresh from a Royal Warrant from Queen Camilla, the London jeweler is using gemstone-rich jewels to argue that color is no longer reserved for special occasions.

The warrant, granted in late April 2026 and also awarded in the same round to Me+Em and Anya Hindmarch, gave fresh social proof to a house that has long lived in royal wardrobes. Princess Diana wore Kiki McDonough in the 1990s, Catherine, Princess of Wales has repeatedly favored it, and Queen Camilla has worn the brand too, including a blue topaz and diamond pendant. McDonough called the honor the greatest of her career, describing it as recognition of trust, excellence, craftsmanship and consistency.

That timing matters because Thorns & Roses is the opening act of a three-part Night at the Ballet story built around Sleeping Beauty. The collection leans into Aurora pinks, lilac purples and enchanted forest greens, with portrait-cut gemstones, diamond vine motifs and a mix of 18ct white and yellow gold that gives the pieces a more textured, modern finish than the average all-gold stack. It is jewelry meant to layer by mood, not by rule.

McDonough has long argued for jewelry that feels light on the body and easy to wear every day, and that philosophy is the quiet subtext of the launch. These are not cumbersome statement pieces that wait for black-tie. They are designed to slip into daily dressing, where a peridot ring or a fire opal pendant can sharpen a navy jacket, soften a white shirt, or bring warmth to a yellow-gold stack that already feels complete.

The brand’s origins help explain why the color story lands so naturally. Kiki McDonough was founded in London in 1985 by a fifth-generation jeweler, and its first creation, a pair of crystal heart earrings, now sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s jewelry collection. McDonough, who has loved ballet since she was 4, has turned that lifelong fascination into a collection that feels theatrical without losing its polish. In a market that has spent years celebrating gold-on-gold restraint, her latest move suggests the next layer is chromatic.