John McKinney emigrated from Ireland to Australia, opening his first shop in Toowoomba, Queensland in 1884. Following in his pioneering footsteps, his descendants grew and expanded the family luxury goods business to become one of the most respected family businesses in Australia.
The McKinney family has a long association with racing and proudly were commissioned to craft the Melbourne Cup for 10 years during 1980’s and 1990’s. As a part of the association with the VRC the family sponsored a race on Derby Day during the Spring Carnival each year.
“Each year one of the McKinney sisters flew with the Melbourne Cup to each Australian capital city to promote the Spring Carnival and always enjoyed Australia’s most iconic racing trophy taking pride of place in seat 1A of the aircraft. The Melbourne Cup was then presented to the chairman of the VRC at a prestigious cocktail party in Melbourne. The trophy, then importantly crafted in Melbourne by goldsmith Lucky Rocca, was created from 48 individual 18K gold pieces, hand-beaten for over hundreds of hours and connected with hidden screws. It is an absolutely work of art. Each year we made two full size Melbourne Cups, just in case something happened to one of them, alongside the miniature versions for the jockey and the trainer. We recall the Melbourne Cup and the Spring Carnival in these times so fondly still with picnics out of the boot of the car – it was so much fun!” Margot McKinney said.
A fifth-generation business, the McKinney family’s passion is for creating exceptional pieces of jewellery from the finest and rarest gems in the world. The family nurtures their relationships with the world’s finest gem cutters and pearl growers, and the master craftsmen and women who bring to life the finest jewellery for their all- important discerning and sophisticated clients and friends.
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