The sighting: Like many A-list celebrities, Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren made a memorable red carpet appearance at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Mirren donned a black gown with long sleeves, sculptural shoulders, a dramatic turquoise sash tied in a bow and a satisfyingly dramatic hat. But it was her jewels that stole the show.
The jewels: Mirren wore the Marina Collier by Margot McKinney. This extraordinary necklace featured a massive 241.14 carat cushion-cut seafoam aquamarine and a large baroque pearl suspended from a 65.72 carat aquamarine, as well as an intricate arrangement of 25 rare Australian South Sea baroque pearls of unusually large size, green tourmaline, diamonds, sapphires, aquamarines, Paraiba tourmalines and tsavorites.
The actress also wore a pair of earrings that must have been made to match, although they were not specifically credited.
McKinney’s Instagram shared that this magnificent piece was inspired by the play of light on the shallows of the Great Barrier Reef and shared the history of that large aquamarine in the center, revealing that the rough was mined in the 1980s but remained in the rough until McKinney acquired the gem for this piece.
This necklace was created as the centerpiece of Margot McKinney’s debut exhibition at the 2025 TEFAF Maastricht art fair in the Netherlands in March.
The trends: Lots of trends here! The ocean and aquatic themes are a reigning jewelry trend as of summer 2025, and this piece strongly referenced that trend without being overly literal. The huge pearls were glamorous and fun, while the gems kept things fresh.
What do we think? This piece rocked my world. It looked like it was made for a Mermaid Queen, with its large, lumpy pearls separated by twinkling diamond-studded beads and enchanting aquatic-colored gems.
Also, with a necklace this dramatic, she still wore earrings! And they were not even understated. In most outfits, those earrings would be a statement piece. It was only the massive necklace that made those sizable pearl earrings look subtle.
This necklace would be a showstopper on anyone, but Mirren truly had the presence to carry it off without looking like the necklace was wearing her – quite a feat, given the hat, sash and shoulder pads that were also involved.
Judgement: 100/10 for this statement stunner.
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