About the collection…
In 1774 King Louis XVI presented his new wife, Marie Antoinette, with a diamond covered key to the Petit Trianon Chateau at Versailles and said, “To you who love flowers so, I present this bouquet.” This home with its wildflower meadows became a sanctuary for her from her opulent life as Queen and she was tasked with working with architects and designing the extravagant gardens.
Photo by Allison Connolly
Inspired by a visit to the Palace of Versailles and the grounds, I will create jewelry with flowers and leaves that were present in some of Marie Antoinette’s gardens and boiserie in her home using the lost wax technique with silver. Each piece of fine silver cast wildflowers reflects the spirit of feminine independence.
My first collection for Kelly Knight Jewelry is based on the concept of decorative fragments of boiserie which includes delicately carved wood paneling from the Palace of Versailles during Marie Antoinette’s era and is reminiscent of her gardens. To translate these ideas of timeless extravagance, beauty, and resilience into wearable jewelry, I will combine the simplicity of wildflowers, with the structure of boiserie.